Exorcising the Ghosts
by mandymld
Summary: Who is lying in that hospital bed if he isn't Jason? If Elizabeth is dead, where are the boys? Why is Mac being sent clues to a puzzle? Solving the riddles is only the beginning.
1. Chapter 1

Chasers

Chase after the truth like all of hell is after you, and you might free yourself...

Elizabeth was exhausted. Secrets, lies and sneaking around, when had her life become a soap opera? Standing at the hub, she saw the reason walking across the floor with Robin Scorpio and knew that if she wanted to free herself, first she had to cut the strings tying her to the mess. Looking at the chart for Kelly Lee, she saw that the results were positive and just decided enough was enough.

Calling Lucky, she froze for a couple of minutes, then decided a public place would be best. Then she called the man she had been having sex with, Nik had done little to hide his excitement at the idea of sex. Shivering from the fear of facing the truth, she clocked out, sneered at the bitch who was stealing her life and just thought to herself, time to leave. Time to tell a few people some truths on the way out the door.

When Nik showed up, she asked him to take a seat, making sure he didn't see the suitcases in the dining room. "Nik, we're done. I can't do this anymore. No more filling voids with sex, no more hiding the pain. I am only sorry I dragged you into this mess. I am telling Lucky this afternoon."

"You can't do that, it will destroy him." he said protesting then tried to seduce her into forgetting. Looking at him with disgust, Elizabeth just walked away. Once he had finally left, she placed the suitcases in the minivan and called the realtor. "I have packed everything up, you can put it on the market tomorrow."

Calling the attorney that the woman from the rape crisis center had recommended, she asked if her will was done. "Are you sure it can't be challenged?"

"Yes, are you sure about this?" she asked looking at the paperwork on her desk.

"It is ten years past due." she said grimly.

~~*~~

Arriving at the warehouse, she ignored the geek's protests that she was supposed to be staying away from Stone Cold and said "Look, you can get out of my way, or you can find out the hard way that I think you are a piece of shit, Spinelli. Why don't you track down your Mommy Sam and tell her that I am visiting her sex toy? I would like a word with that bitch as well."

Walking in, she looked at the man sitting behind the desk with scorn and said "Too dangerous to raise a child, you love your son too much to allow a child in your world. Well, I guess that only is in regards to Jake. Right? Congratulations, your whore is pregnant. Does she know you habit of tossing, wait, that is right it is only me and our son you tossed away. You are a piece of gutter trash, Jason Morgan."

The man sitting in the chair looked up in shock. "Elizabeth? What are you doing here?"

"Just telling you that I am leaving town and if I even think your pet geek is looking for me, I will ruin you both. I hate you, Jason Morgan, and someday, I am going to make sure that Jacob does too." With that she pushed past Alexis who was entering along with Kristina and Molly.

Hearing them asking where Sam was, Elizabeth got a cruel smile, then looked at Alexis with hate, and said "Maybe she is screwing one of your fathers. I mean she slept with Ric on your mother's floor while you two were sleeping a mere twenty feet away and your mommy was undergoing chemo treatments."

With that, Elizabeth left, she didn't feel good about herself, especially when she saw the look on Molly's face, but she was done with the hypocrites in this town turning Sam McCall and Carly Jacks into Saints when they were no more than gutter trash.

Seeing Carly walking in, she just laughed and said "What do you have him bugged, so that you know when I am here? Well, save yourself some trouble, I am gone. OH, and you might not want to go back there, I just informed Alexis' daughters what a whore their sister is."

Jason sat there stunned then what Elizabeth said hit him. She was leaving. Shit, that couldn't happen. Rushing past a furious Alexis and a crying Molly, he saw Sam stopping Elizabeth as she was heading out the door. When he heard what was being said, it was like a dam burst and memories flooded his brain.

Grabbing her arm, he took Elizabeth to the warehouse and snapped at Sam to help her mother deal with Molly. "Snow, you smell like snow."

When she didn't even flinch, he tried another one. "We promised to never say goodbye, it was always see you later."

Not even a flicker of recognition. Desperate he said. "A blue vase." Only for Elizabeth to retreat further into the warehouse. Hearing the distant sound of raised voices, the man chasing the brunette knew he had to get through to her, his life depended on it.

Then there was suddenly no air, .,.. blackness.... smoke.... and heat, lots of heat. He could distantly hear the sound of the sirens, and found himself whispering... Jason.....told you …. love you...

~~*~~

Lucky arrived at the Corinthos Morgan warehouse to hear Sam screaming Jason's name. Reaching her, he heard Carly insisting someone rescue Jason, that he was inside. When the fireman came out, they said to the police commissioner, "Two severely injured. A woman, I doubt she is going to make it, a man who has a head wound."

The medics rushed the ambulances to the hospital while those that loved Jason all gathered around. No one had said anything about knowing who the Jane Doe was, until Alexis snapped where was Elizabeth, that she wanted a word with her?

"Why, she isn't here?" asked Lucky.

"She was with Jason, in the warehouse." said Alexis as Sonny rushed in to comfort his daughter. Telling Sonny what had been said, he just nodded and said she wasn't the sweet girl he had known all those years before.

Robin and Patrick were operating on Jason, trying to save his life from the ruptured blood vessel in his brain. When they left surgery they saw quite a crowd gathered. "He is going to live, but we have a problem."

"What kind of problem." snapped Sam while Spinelli moved closer to help his newly pregnant goddess, she was going to need him if Stone Cold didn't get well soon. She couldn't do this on her own.

"His body rejected the blood transfusion. We had to use plasma." she said still trying to figure out what had happened in the operating room. "We are going to wait for him to stabilize then take care of the minor cuts and bruises, but for now, he is in recovery."

"When can I see him?" asked Sam.

"Only immediate family, I am sorry Sam." said Patrick. He had something he wanted to check out and this was his best chance to do it without Spinelli standing there. "For at least twenty four hours."

Epiphany had left the second operating room, stunned to have to give Lucky the news. "I am sorry, but Elizabeth didn't make it."

"Good." said a vindictive Sam only for Patrick to give her a strange look. "She told my sisters that I slept with Ric."

"Didn't you?" he asked coolly before walking away from the hypocrites that were sympathizing with the woman. He had talked to a therapist who had given him a bit of the background on Elizabeth and her past with Sam McCall. He had insisted on his friend talking to someone when he had seen she was slipping into a very dark place and had been kept informed in his role as chief of staff.

Robin was furious with Patrick but she didn't agree with Sam at all, until Lucky informed her that Elizabeth had been sleeping with Nik while engaged to him. She didn't know what had caused her friend to lose it like that, but really, to verbally attack children, what kind of person did that?

~~*~~

A few days later, Nik went to see Audrey Hardy who was arranging Elizabeth's funeral. When the elderly woman slammed the door in his face, he sighed and knocked again. "Look, hate me all you want, but you need to know that Lucky is going to fight Elizabeth's will."

Opening the door, the elderly woman said "He has no rights to either of those boys and if Jason Morgan ever gets out of that hospital bed, I intend to borrow that huge SUV of his and run that thug down with his own car. Now get off my property and you tell Lucky if he doesn't bring those boys back tonight, I will have him arrested. Do you understand me?"

Nik froze, then stared at the elderly woman. "Mrs, Hardy, Lucky doesn't have the boys. He thought they were with you."

"Don't even try it. You don't have any idea who you are messing with. Tell your brother, that I don't give a crap who he thinks is behind him. I want my great grandson's here when Steven arrives this tonight."

Calling Lee Baldwin, Audrey verified that Elizabeth's attorney had sent the paperwork terminating Lucky Spencer and Jason Morgan's parental rights. Neither man were going to be allowed near her grandsons.

Sam sat at the side of Jason's bed, tears on her face as she realized Jason hadn't woken up. Turning to Robin she asked "How much longer?"

Shaking her head, Robin said "I don't know."

Feeling her beeper vibrating, she went to see what Patrick wanted, then heard him saying. "We have a specialist coming in to deal with the reconstructive surgery, will you let Sam know."

"What is your problem with her?" asked Robin bewildered when once again Patrick didn't say anything then he looked at her and said "You like to think you are good at reading people and yet you don't think there is something wrong with that woman?"

Nik hurried to see Luke and when he passed on Audrey's message then older man thought about it then said "Something is very wrong here. Track down Lulu, I will go and see my cowboy."

Arriving at Laura's house, he saw that Lucky was not there, heading over to Elizabeth's house he called Nik to get directions. Seeing the for sale sign, he called the realtor and found out it had been for sale since the day of the explosion.

Spinelli, was listening to Tracy and Monica and knew what he had to do. Going into the computer, he set up the results, knowing that he had to protect the goddesses child with Stone Cold.

Hearing his phone ringing, he thought about things and tracked down the Maternal one's bank account. Calling back Luke Spencer, he said "All her money is accounted for."

"Are you sure your boss didn't give her funds that you weren't aware of?"

Spinelli said "No, I was unaware of this account until recently." Then hanging up, he did one more thing and then went back to the room where his master was lying in a bed, still as the Stone he was named after.

Audrey called Mac Scorpio who went to talk to former detective Spencer about custodial interference when he got the call. "Mac, check your e-mails."

Heading to his computer, he was stunned at what he saw. Hanging up, he wrote out a letter then went to see the Mayor who tried to talk him out of what he was doing. "I am done. You find someone else to deal with the criminal element in this town."

Heading home, he wrote two letters, packed up a duffel bag and left town, knowing he couldn't trust a single soul in Port Charles with what he had found out. Stopping to see Audrey on his way, he informed the woman that Lucky didn't have the boys. "I am sorry, I have no idea where they are."

Holding the elderly woman who was sobbing, he said "I promise, I will find them. But don't trust anyone, I mean no one. Tell Steven when he arrives to do the same. Get out of town, please Mrs. Hardy."

"I have to bury my granddaughter first." she said scared when he mentioned he was leaving that night. "Mac, what is going on?"

"I am not sure, but it is going to get ugly with Jason Morgan down."

~~*~~

The man looked in on the two boys, seeing them playing, he thought about what he was doing, then decided it was for the best. Jake and Cameron deserved a better life and they certainly wouldn't get that in Port Charles.

"When are we going home?" asked Cam as he saw the man standing there. "I want to see my mommy."

"I know, I will find her, I promise and I will make whoever took her regret it." said the dark haired man to himself as he ruffled the curls of the little boy. "Have you are flown on an airplane?"

~~*~~

The blond man looked in on the woman in the padded cell then down at his bleeding arm. Looking over at the two men in the room he said "She is awake, what now?"

AJ leaned against the wall and turned to his companion. "It's your call, but from what I remember hearing about Elizabeth Webber, she isn't going to be easy to convince."

"That is what you are here for. My first plan was an abject failure, let's see how yours works."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2 Fact or Truth?

_**Chapter 2:Fact vs. Truth**_

_The fact that many people believe something is no guarantee of it being the truth._

Epiphany went into the small office allotted to her by the hospital and made a quick call. "We have a problem, the boys are missing."

The man on the other end swore then said "I will tell him but he isn't going to like this."

"Really, you think?" she asked sarcastically. "Find those boys. Right now everyone is looking the other way, convinced that your patient is all the things she isn't, but at some point someone in this town is going to grow some brains."

"Not likely." he snorted before hanging up. Stopping the older man, he said "We need to find the boys."

Looking at the man standing outside staring at his patient, the doctor bowed his head, "He is going to go crazy when he hears this."

"We don't have a choice, there are two little boys out there with god knows who and for who knows how long. Spencer that idiot never reported anything to the police."

"And we just sent the one officer in Port Charles with any brains on his own hunt." said the man entering. With a grim expression on his face, he asked "Did you reach him?"

"No, he still isn't answering, just like it has been since August." replied AJ. "I only wish..."

"I know, I just don't know what to do. She needs me." he said looking at the woman alone in a room trying to get her strength up. "But the boys, they need me too."

AJ decided it was time to step up. "She isn't going to trust me, but at least she doesn't loath me with the power of a thousand suns right now. You go find the boys, let me help Elizabeth. It's what Emily would want."

!!*!!

Spinelli smirked inside when Lucky Spencer read the test results proving he was the father of Jacob Martin Spencer. He had no intention of letting Sam lose everything and when the Spencer's had realized that Jason's funds were just sitting there, he knew they would use Jason's son to try and steal them.

Heading back into the hospital room with Lucky's rants still clearly being heard, he knew he had to reassure his goddess and decided to make sure no one ever learned the truth. "Goddess, we have to talk."

When Sam looked up from the bandaged face of his master, he said "I have some regretful news, they ran DNA tests on Jake, he isn't Stone Cold's son."

"That BITCH!" I know that I should have insisted on Jason having another DNA test. She is such a lying little whore. How dare she, she should be glad she is dead. Wait until I tell Carly, I hope she goes after the money that Jason gave the lying slut."

Patrick was outside the hospital room, gathering evidence as he heard the woman hollering. He knew that Jake was Jason's son, the fact that Sam didn't realize something was wrong with the picture told him that she truly was delusional.

Seeing Monica Quartermaine coming his way, he asked if she had a moment. "I have arranged for the plastic surgeon to come and start working on Jason. Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, when he wakes up it will be harder for him to deal with being in the hospital." she said feeling dead tired. Since getting the news about Sam's baby, all she wanted to do was cry. The PI was the last woman she had wanted as the mother of her grandchildren.

Alexis sat down with Lainey and the girls, not sure about this but Sonny was sure that it would help deal with the fallout of what Elizabeth had told her innocent young daughters.

"Okay, you may ask anyone in this room any questions you want." said Lainey who winced when Kristina looked at her mother who was sitting next to Sonny and said "Is it true? Did Sam sleep with Ric while you were married to him?"

Swallowing, Alexis started to deny it only for Kristina to say scornfully, "Don't lie, I saw the transcripts of Jason's trial. I KNOW that it is true, I just wanted to see if you were going to tell the truth."

With that the sixteen year old got up and walked to the door saying "This is just a waste of time if all you are going to do is lie."

Alexis stopped her from leaving and said forlornly "What do you want me to say. I know how close you are to Ric, how can I bear to tell you he seduced your own sister."

Shaking her head with her face to the door, Kristina said softly. "Mom, stop making it all Ric's fault. Sam was just as responsible. No more, I can't take it. I want to move to LA with Ric, Molly does too."

"NO!" said Sonny from the sofa only for Kristina to look at him with scorn. "I don't want my daughter near him."

"Wow, you remembered I am your kid, well until the next time you forget. And you don't get a say. I am sixteen and the courts take my wants into consideration. By the way, you weren't too worried about his being around when you were married to that leech Carly or when you were chasing after Kate or when you were screwing the woman who was behind Michael getting shot. Let me guess you want to get back into Mommy dearest's knickers. Well good luck."

"Kristina get back here this instant." said Alexis only to watch as her daughter kept heading out the door.

"Alexis, you need to tell her..." Sonny stood and went to call one of his guards.

"No, no I don't. She is right, Ric has been a good stepfather to her and if he can help her deal with things, I am going to let her go and if you are any kind of father, you would too." Alexis felt her life spinning out of control and knew that letting Kristina go would also help with whatever else was bothering her little girl.

Lainey sat watching them leave, waiting and wondering when the man from the state board was going to deliver her evaluations. She had been called and informed that at some point today she was to be told if she could keep practicing or not.

Hearing a knock, she looked at her clock and took a deep breath as Patrick entered the room along with the state certification examiner. "Dr. Winters, shall we get started?"

An hour later, Lainey was clearing out her office stunned that her so-called friend Elizabeth Webber had been the catalyst for her losing her medical license. Hearing a knock on her door, she let in the older woman who was taking over her patients at least temporarily.

"Dr. Baldwin, here are the important files." she said handing them over only to see her toss one down. Picking up the Corinthos file, Lainey said "He is bi-polar and needs lithium."

"He will need to find a different doctor. I refuse to treat the man who got my granddaughter addicted to pills and then forced her into stripping." she said before continuing to read. "This one here. Isn't this the reason your license was revoked. Elizabeth's son's kidnapping?"

"I still can't believe she did this to me, we were friends." said Lainey only for Gail to looked up and shake her head.

"She didn't do this to you, I reported you but you were the one who screwed this up. I was talking the the rape crisis therapist, she has been treating Elizabeth for her PTSD since she didn't trust you. You aren't fit to practice medicine. You should have stepped back from that case, but you didn't. Same with Robin Scorpio Drake and you have a major conflict of interest treating Sonny Corinthos at the same time as his children and his ex-wife. You seem to have never heard about the concept of boundaries."

Lainey was shaking when she left the building by the time that Gail had reamed her out.

The older woman went to find Monica and said "Elizabeth Webber has been suffering from PTSD for years, yet she has been capable of living a fairly normal life in spite of the damage your son did and losing your daughter. What is your excuse?"

Looking up in shock, Monica said "What are you talking about?"

"The drinking, then accepting help from the woman who watched your grandson get kidnapped? The woman who did all of that to get back in Jason's bed."

"Once again, I have no idea what you are talking about?" asked Monica as she sat down. "Someone watched as Michael was kidnapped?"

"No Jake. Jason's son with Elizabeth, no matter what those computer results say, I know the truth. Jake is Jason's son and I find it interesting that test results from '06 are in the computer when we can't access files from just before the fire." she said scornfully. "My guess is that a certain Mr. Spinelli I have been hearing about strikes again."

"But Sam..." Monica didn't like Sam but she was carrying her grandchild.

"...is the reason you didn't know about Jake." Gail was about to toss her rules away, she had made a deal and part of that was getting the truth about things out. She then went on to reveal what Elizabeth had told her therapist about both kidnappings and the attack in the park.

"Oh my god, what was Jason thinking?" asked Monica as she left Gail and walked down the hall in time to see Audrey Hardy slapping Lucky Spencer across the face. Getting the elderly woman away from the gathering crowd, she said "I am on your side. I know the truth about Jake."

Once Gail and Audrey had left, Monica thought about things and knew that she couldn't fight Sam in regards to Jason's health care just yet, but she was going to make sure that when her baby was born it wasn't raised in the cess pool that was the life of her son and his so called friends.

Robin went to the records, wishing she could recall Jason's blood type. Finding them, she then went to see Rebecca Shaw. "Those test results I asked for earlier, are they ready yet?"

"Just finished." she said handing them over.

When she located Patrick, she showed her husband what she had found. "There is something wrong here. Either when we transferred back from Mercy our records were screwed up or someone deliberately changed Jason's blood type."

"One moment." said Patrick then went to his fax machine grateful he had already done some research. Comparing the files he said "No, according to the boarding school that Monica sent the boys, what we have on file is correct. So the better question would be did Jason spontaneously change blood types or who is that man lying in the hospital bed claiming to be Jason Morgan?"

"We need to tell Sam." said Robin urgently worried about the pregnant woman.

Stopping her from leaving, Patrick said "No we don't. Not without proof. This goes no further than the two of us. I need you to let go this sudden idea that Jason and Sam belong together and help me find out what the hell is going on in this town."

Thinking on the letter from her Uncle Mac where he told her he had to chase something down and not to trust anyone but Patrick. Not even Maxie, she started to wonder if maybe just maybe whatever Uncle Mac was doing was connected to this mess.

!!*!!

Lucky was determined to track down his son now that he knew the truth. Going over to Elizabeth's house he found it empty and the realtor couldn't tell him where the stuff was. Sure that Audrey had arranged it, he went over to confront the woman only to get into an argument with Steven who reminded him who he worked for.

"I need to find my son." he insisted. "And I need to access those funds in order to do it."

Steven just glared at the Spencer creep and said "Elizabeth's money? She had about five thousand dollars in the bank, that's it. Now get out here and stay away from this investigation. The FBI is going to look for my nephews, I contacted someone who owes me a favor."

Slamming his way out, he never saw Steven make a phone call. "Have you found my nephews?"

"No, are you sure that their stepfather didn't grab them?" asked the agent. Then he added. "There are tests that prove Spencer is the father."

"They were falsified, I personally ran tests for my grandmother a few years ago, Jason Morgan is the father of my nephew. Someone here is trying to cover up that fact."

"We already have a suspect. He has popped up a few other times." said the agent in charge before hanging up to go back to trying to track down two children.

Lucky went straight to Spinelli, "I need to access the money that Jason gave to Elizabeth. I need to find out who grabbed my son."

"I will get it for you." he said quietly. It was the least he could do since Sam was pressuring him to retrieve the money she thought that Elizabeth had gotten wrongfully. He was beginning to get the idea his plan was wrong.

When he finally got past the firewall, he blinked the stuttered saying "It's gone. There is nothing there. A few thousand dollars, that's it." Less than a week before there had been over five million dollars in that account.

"I need that money, just wire it to my account." said Lucky. When the transaction was done, he left never seeing the shock on Spinelli's face. When Maxie showed up, he told her what was going on.

"Did Elizabeth fake her death?" she asked only for Spinelli to poo-poo that idea.

"This is Elizabeth Webber, she is too scared of her own shadow to do something like that." he said then recalled the day she had visited the warehouse and went to talk to the doctor who operated on Elizabeth.

Instead he overheard Epiphany comforting another nurse. "I have to believe that she is in a better place. There was so much here that caused her pain."

Realizing he was overreacting, Spinelli just figured that somehow the Webber family had cleared out the account thinking that someone was going to want the money back. Stopping in to see Sam, he went to the Scorpio residence with Maxie who was worried about her father.

!!*!!

Mac had arrived in Boston and was trying to figure out the clue he had been sent. Checking into the bed and breakfast, he pretended to be just another tourist for the day. Smoots, what the hell was a smoot and how was he going to find out why they sent him the picture from the sixties to him.

Arriving on the MTA he went to the bookstore like ordered and soon had the travel guide purchased. Stopping at the Quincy Market he bought some lunch and read the guide front to back with no more answers than he had started with.

Exploring Harvard, he stood on the bridge, his mind on Georgie more than the clue. If they had had the money this was the law school he had hoped to send her to. His poor little girl, he found himself tearing up as he walked off campus and back to his room.

Sitting there he hoped that Robin had the sense to keep her head down and that Maxie would finally do something to end the one-sided mess of a relationship with Spinelli so they were out of the line of fire.

Thinking about the e-mail, he took it out and read it again. _"At four smoots, yee shall find the answers to the age old question of is there life after death. The chase begins from the moment you opened this e-mail. Start in the home town of Ben Franklin, and who knows lightning may strike twice."_

It was signed only with a small motorcycle. He had tracked down the brand and had been shocked to find it was the symbol for Morgan cycles. He didn't know what it meant but he knew that with Jason down, someone was coming after Port Charles and his daughter was in the middle of the mess. His only hope was that he could track this message down and maybe, just maybe save her.

!!*!!

John arranged for a babysitter, hating to leave them with a stranger but then wasn't that what he was. At the time it been spontaneous. He had been leaving the warehouse after planting the listening devices to find proof that Morgan had killed his sister.

He had seen the building explode and then his car as well. Seeing the minivan parked a little ways away, he had only intended to steal it in order to get away. But he had seen the suitcases and the car seats followed by the picture of Jake and Cameron on the visor.

When he had overheard Alexis Davis saying something about Elizabeth, he had realized that she was the woman with Jason, the woman he had kept saying all those strange words to. He had known something was wrong, but when he heard them saying at GH she wasn't going to make it, he had just acted without thinking.

Distracting the woman with the kids, he had promised to deliver them to their father, telling the woman about Elizabeth's death. He couldn't imagine a worse fate for a child, then ending up where he himself had and had decided that instead of avenging his sister's death, he would instead save those two boys from ending up in the same life when Jason woke up.

Talking to Claudia's uncle, he informed him of what he believed to have happened then asked for his help getting passports for the boys. "You will need more papers that that."

Nodding that he understood, Johnny said "My father can never know."

"Understood, I tried to talk my sister out of marrying him, but she was determined. Claudia was very much like Dominica. You do know that eventually someone will come looking."

With a sad expression, Johnny said "I doubt it, Morgan threw his son away, as for the other little boy, his father is dead. Someone needs to give them a chance to live a normal life."

"May the soul of your dead mother guide you." said the mobster as he arranged for what he needed. "Go with my blessing."

"Thank you." with that Johnny was quickly back at the hotel and soon was on his way promising the little boys he would find their mommy but that for now, they had to pretend he was their dad.

"Why?" asked Cameron.

"To protect you both, I swear no one will ever harm you two again." he said solemnly.

!!*!!

Once the other man had left AJ called the doctor. "I want you to let me talk to her. Maybe I can get through to her."

"She doesn't remember you. She doesn't remember Port Charles."

"I don't understand, she had those memories the other day when she woke up. You saw what she did." Elizabeth had attacked using the plastic butter knife with her lunch to stab him in the arm.

"But she did what I suggested, tried to find a safe place. She is locked in that safe place. She has gone back to when she was a little girl, playing hide and seek with her dad at his office. Until she is ready to face things, she will not come out."

"But how will she be ready if she doesn't come out?"

With a sad expression the doctor said "I don't know if she will ever be able to overcome all the repeated traumas of her past. You need to find those little boys, they are your best hope of helping her."

AJ gave a heavy sigh and said "We should have stepped in and dealt with things in September, but no one had any idea how bad things were. But we should have known this is Port Charles we are talking about."

The blond was on the phone using his contacts to track down Elizabeth's sons. When he crashed with his last available contact, he considered using one he swore he wouldn't until he was sure about them. Just as he was ready to press send on the phone to call Spinelli, his phone rang.

"John Zachara has gone underground." The blond closed his eyes in pain before hanging up. At least he knew the kid wouldn't kill the boys, at least until the man in the hospital woke up. Shaking he called the one contact he still definitely trusted. "See what you can find out about John Zachara."

"Fine." said the woman's voice. "I think you should consider telling one more person."

As he listened to her reasoning he said "No, it is too risky. I regret even dragging you into this mess."

"You had no choice." she said before hanging up. Heading down the hospital corridors, the spy got close enough to listen and knew that soon things would start clearing out. Sure enough, the very next morning, Luke Spencer was brought into GH with acute heart failure.

As the Spencer family gathered around, she listened and soon realized no one had any idea about what was really going on. They were completely in the dark and she only hoped it would stay that way.

When she saw Lulu walk off to a quiet corner with her latest boy toy,, Epiphany heard them discussing his being a police officer and the blond being worried about her ex-boyfriend who was missing.

Shaking her head that the blond wasn't worried about her supposed nephews who were missing, the head nurse was going to call her contact when she saw Alexis talking to two men in the doorway. As soon as the news that Luke Spencer was going to be fine was announced, she gave a small smile when the two men informed the Spencer family that the Haunted Star's gambling license had been revoked by state law.

Four hours later when she saw the fireman coming in with smoke inhalation mentioned fighting a fire at the old Deception building, she got that the first shots had been fired in a war that only she realized was coming.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3 Inappropriate Behavior

_Chapter 3:Inappropriate Behavior_

_We can't solve problems by using the same kind of reasoning we used when we created them._

Sam sat next to Jason's bed. She was still shocked at all that had happened. For the last few months she had thought everything in her life was going to be fine. She had Jason back, yes he was a little different but she put that down to the damage that had been done to them by Elizabeth.

Hearing the sound of footsteps she turned around to see Patrick Drake and Monica there. "Well, where is he?"

"Dr. Steadman will be in in a minute. We just wanted to inform you that we need to speak to you about the bleeding that has been going on in Jason's brain. We think that repeated traumatic brain injuries have caused some damage." Sonny and Carly entered knowing that the specialist was coming that morning. Patrick repeated his question for them.

"What do you mean?" Carly asked suspiciously.

"Have you noticed any of the following symptoms. Changes in appropriate social behavior. For instance, Jason acting out of character for his job." Patrick didn't come out and state what he was thinking but several people had mentioned his pulling out a gun at the carnival in front of children.

"Deficits in social judgment. As he done anything different from the past, like has he suddenly been forgiving of someone who he normally wouldn't have been." Monica kept her eyes down as she realized he had done that with Sam. Carly and Sonny had both answered no, but Sam felt slightly uneasy. "Cognitive or spatial changes. Has his aim been off, that sort of thing."

Now Carly was worried, she had noticed a few things like that. "Problems with unexplained sudden sexual disorders."

"Trust me, Jason hasn't had any problems with that, in fact it has been the complete opposite." bragged Sam only for Patrick to frown then turn to Monica.

"After his first surgery, didn't Jason experience an increased sex drive. I seem to recall Robin mention indiscriminate sexual appetites, what Sam is talking about would be similar."

Carly and Sam both gritted their teeth at the unintended explanation that Jason's wanting them was the result of injury. "The last thing would be either a fixation on a problem to the point of ignoring other things in his life. Especially things that caused him pain to think about."

At that point the other threesome started talking all on top of one another while Monica was sad to realize she didn't know the truth and those that did were going to go out of their way to avoid facing the truth. "Patrick is there a way to find out?"

"We need to run a complete series of cat scans using stimuli when he wakes up but for now, no. Dr. Steadman is looking at the x-rays, he should give us some answers soon."

The man entering looked around and said "Okay, this is what I know. This man has had repeated facial injuries resulting in multiple contusions to the face. The best we can hope is that I can reconstruct his face to it's original lines."

"When can you start?" asked Sam.

"We need to take off the bandages so that I can see what I have to work with, but hopefully by the beginning of next week." he replied before walking out. Stopping Patrick he said "I wish you had told me about the previous surgeries before hand, they are going to complicate things."

!!*!!

Sonny was sitting on his sofa, thinking things through when Michael strolled in just in front of Dominic. "Dad, I just took Kristina to the airport, Alexis asked me to give you this."

Taking the note, he gritted his teeth then said "I have to go out. Dominic I want you down at the warehouse this evening. Michael, don't you have homework to do?"

The younger man glared at the interloper trying to steal his place in the family. When his father had left, he turned to the dark haired man and said "You are not going to steal what belongs to me. My uncle won't let you."

"Your uncle is lying in bed breathing, eating and shitting through a tube. I have a lot to worry about. Now if you will excuse me, I have someplace to be in an hour."

Wishing the kid would get the message that his father wasn't a god, Dante went to see his mother. She had left fourteen voice mails on his phone earlier that day. When he arrived, he found that her boy toy had left town without leaving so much as a reason. Just a message that he wouldn't be returning.

Meanwhile Sonny was banging on Alexis' front door. "What the hell do you think you are doing letting Kristina to stay with Ric?"

"I sent both of my daughters after talking to Ric." she said leaning against her deck exhausted. "I agreed with his assessment that things around here are going to be unsettled as long as Jason is out of things. And your daughter is right, you have no say in her life. Why don't you go and spend the time chasing after Olivia, I am sure that she is waiting for you."

"Are you jealous?" he asked with a cocky smile as he moved in closer only for her to put up her hand to stop him.

"No, but my eyes were opened when Kristina mentioned your attitude the other day, she is right, you have been trying to charm me. It won't work Sonny, that is someplace I will never go again." she said scornfully. "Now if you will excuse me my oldest daughter needs me right now."

"Your right about that one." he said with a sad chuckle. "While you are there you might want to ask her about Jason's severe brain injury in Mexico and how before that he would not do anything more than give her the time of day. Turns out her grand reunion was the result of his injury. My guess is that when he wakes up, he tosses her out on her ass."

Sam had been thinking the exact same thing and knew she had to find away to know the truth before the surgery was performed. Calling Spinelli, she asked him to leave his laptop and went quickly to a search engine and what it said scared her.

Swearing softly, she made a quick call. "I want to make a deal."

The man on the other end thought eureka and said "What may I do for you Miss McCall?"

"I tell you everything, you help me get away from here with Jason. We get a new life in that program you have. You know the one where we get new names and stuff." she told the FBI agent.

"I want everything. No holding back. You give me everything there is on Sonny Corinthos and his entire operations. I agree and in exchange when Morgan wakes up, he testifies as well."

Not planning on sticking around that long, she said "Deal."

"You should know, I mean everyone. I want that little computer geek as well." said Raynor who had plans for the geek.

"Deal, Like I said, I want the works, new name, new face, money to start a new life." she said well aware that she wouldn't get all of that, but since she intended to take Jason's money with them, she didn't care.

Audrey and Steven took the envelope that Mac Scorpio had sent them and made plans to leave town. Letting the former commissioner know that they were going to Colorado, they were soon packed and gone.

Spinelli who was trailing them, saw them heading to the airport and called Lucky Spencer giving him the news. He didn't know for sure if Elizabeth had faked her death but he wasn't going to take any chances of her coming back to ruin the goddess's life. Meeting Maxie afterwords, he asked if she had heard from her father yet?

"No, I can't locate him. Did you have any luck?" she asked only for him to admit that he hadn't.

"I am sorry, my lady, no. I have not located your stalwart father. Why do you look so sad?"

"I was talking to a couple of his officers, he resigned from the force. I have no idea where he is and he told me if I have any questions to talk to my mother."

!!*!!

Mac was striking out, he had checked every Smoot in the phone book and most had assumed it was a prank call. Walking down to the Harvard Commons he was once again reminded of Georgie. With a heavy heart, he went back to the bed and breakfast, sure that whatever he was missing it was simple.

"Four smoots and life after death. What was he supposed to be finding. And why was he in Boston."

Heading to the front desk he asked for the nearest library saying he needed to research something. The woman sent him back over the bridge to the public library. Arriving at the information desk he asked "I need some help doing research into something called four smoots."

The librarian looked up and saw he wasn't joking then asked "Do you need the measurements or the history behind them?"

"Both, I think." he said then followed her to the tourist section. When she handed him the brochure he said "I don't want to visit a college."

"Sir, trust me, read the brochure." she said then suggested he access the Internet if he needed more information. Mac did just that and swore softly to himself when he realized that he had driven by this structure several times.

Thanking the woman, he was quickly on his way, needing to find the next clue.

!!*!!

AJ was sitting next to the woman in the bed. He knew that Elizabeth was in there, he just didn't know how to reach her. He couldn't help wondering if his partner's grand plan to find out the truth without getting caught had been the absolute worst plan ever... from not knowing the truth about his so called friends to them losing control of the situation in Mexico. AJ had his own guilt about that.

If he hadn't been so worried about his brother, maybe things wouldn't have gone to the crapper. Now his only hope was that whomever had Cameron and Jake didn't want them to control Jason. That they had done this to help Spencer.

Hearing footsteps, he saw the doctor returning. "Well, how did it go?"

"We are going to try and move her through her history." he said then seeing AJ's confusion as to why this was not a good idea, he said "She was raped at fifteen, in the park."

"Crap, I remember hearing about that. That was when she first started to hang with Lucky."

"Yes, but I need her to trust me, so I might have to point out a few things, things that are going to send her over the edge. You are going to have to get him out of the way during the days we work on this."

"That is unless you are finished before he returned with the boys." suggested AJ.

"I wish, but this is going to take time and she is going to need to rest in between sessions." he said before leaving.

AJ called and asked "Any luck?"

"Yes, thankfully. I talked to a babysitter at the hotel in Milan, he was seen with the boys. I need you to prepare the house for the boys. I also need you to keep working on the puzzle. If Mac doesn't figure it out, and we can't get the last answer from Elizabeth in time, I am afraid we are going to be in even a bigger mess that we are now." he said grimly.

"And we are up the proverbial creek without a paddle right now." said AJ. "Jason, one other thing.... Dr. Hardy says it is going to get ugly for Elizabeth. Are you sure you want him doing this?"

The man on the other end looked into the mirror, saw the desperation on his face and said "Yes."

"It's your call man."

"AJ, I can't live without her. This past year has been about trying to figure a way to have my family, for them to be safe. I can't quit now."

"Get back here with those boys soon."

"I will, I do have one thing on my side." he said staring at the article in the Port Charles Herald.

"What's that?" asked AJ.

"The fact that he thinks I am lying in a hospital bed."

_!!*!!_

_Elizabeth was playing hide and seek when she overheard her parents talking. Her mother was accusing her dad of cheating on her. "Carolyn, in spite of everything, I have never broken my wedding vows. That would be your thing."_

"_Of course not the saint of Boulder would never do anything so human as cheat on his wife. After all he lives for his patients, his reputation and his family last." she said scornfully._

"_Is it any wonder I don't come home most nights? That I stay here, our house is a combat zone, I don't want the children seeing us arguing like that." he said hotly._

"_No, it won't do for your precious Elizabeth to see you yelling at me, she might realize her daddy isn't a saint. That he secretly hates his older children."_

"_I don't hate them."_

"_No, but they don't mean as much as your precious little angel. Sweet little Elizabeth who can do no wrong. Too bad you weren't so blind when it came to Sarah." said the blond woman._

"_Your right, you know. I have tried to get past the truth. That Sarah isn't my daughter and I usually succeed and only see a little girl in need of parenting, but then I see you, see in your face how much you resent our own daughter. The one you tried to abort and I can't help comparing your attitude and you know what?"_

"_What oh saint Jeffy?" she mocked._

"_I can't help wondering if your coddling her isn't going to turn Sarah into another you. A bitch who can't help ruining everything she touches." he said coldly. He froze when he heard a whimper then his youngest child came out from where she had been hiding behind his desk._

"_Daddy, why are you yelling at Mommy?" she asked as tears ran down her face. She kept yelling at him to stop hollering at Mommy but the man was frozen at the idea of her hearing what her mother did._

_When Elizabeth backed away, he realized she was scared and tried to comfort her, but she moved further away and Carolyn laughed. "You see, I win."_

_Watching as his little girl ran down the hallway, Jeff just stared ashamed at himself for letting Carolyn goad him. "You knew she was here the entire time."_

"_Yes, I did. Now even your precious little angel knows the truth about her daddy."_

Tom listened to what Jeff had to say then asked the important question. "Then why did you leave her behind."

"She wouldn't let me so much as touch her after that, she started to act out and I thought that if we were gone, things would be better for her. Tom, you didn't see the look on her face, it is something I will never forget."

Hanging up the phone, Tom went to the padded room where his niece was recovering from her physical wounds but he didn't know how to reach her to deal with the emotional ones. Her attack on Morgan had sparked the current hiding place inside of her mind but he knew that for Elizabeth, her life had been a struggle between doing what was right and doing what was good for herself.

The current mess they had found in Port Charles was only the latest example. Getting reengaged to Lucky Spencer while sleeping with Nik had been her way of passively ending things with the man who had programed her into thinking she owned him.

Add to the mess of the dobbelganger for Jason sleeping with the woman who had hurt her kids more than likely had sent his niece into a spiraling depression and aggravating her PTSD.

Seeing AJ coming out her room, he said "I found the way in, keep your brother out of town for a couple of days while I deal with this first mess in her head."

"He isn't going to be gone any longer than necessary." he replied.

!!*!!

Robin was reading the blood charts when Sam walked up. "Can we talk?"

Sitting in the waiting room, the doctor was horrified inside by what the pregnant woman was asking. Telling her that it would more than likely kill Jason to go without the surgery, she quickly went to see Patrick.

Sitting down across from her husband she asked quietly "What do you know?"

"Are you ready to listen with an open mind or are you going to be back on this bandwagon where everything is the woman who went out of her way to help you's fault."

"I am all ears." said Robin. When Patrick finished, she looked at him and said "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because you weren't ready. Now what do we do to find the truth?"

"Since you are looking for the truth, how about helping me by answering a few questions."

Turning to the man in the office, Robin took the file and read it. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I don't know who this man is, but he isn't Jason Morgan. When I removed the cheek implants, the chin implants, the pinning back of the ears, this is the face I get."

Robin gasped. "I know that man."

"Good, then maybe you can tell me who he is and why did he wake up in the middle of my exam swearing he was Jason Morgan?"

"I don't know, but for now, we should go along with that." said Patrick. "I think the more important question is where is the real Jason Morgan."

Robin looked out the window and then smiled. "At least we know one thing, wherever he is is where Cameron and Jake are."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4 Fathers and Sons

_**Chapter 4: The Son follows in his father's footsteps**_

_Your child will become what you are, so be what you want them to be_

As Jason watched Johnny with the boys, he was astonished at how easy it seemed to be for the young mobster. Looking at the clock and knowing the boys wouldn't be going to bed for at least another couple of hours, he moved out of the backyard and to his car so that he could keep an eye on the place.

He was just waiting until bedtime then he was grabbing the SOB who took his sons, but he knew if he rushed in there now, it would only scare Jake and Cam. Sitting in the car, Jason couldn't help thinking that Epiphany Johnson had been correct last summer when she had come to him.

She has warned him that hanging around with Sam and avoiding Elizabeth was slowly destroying the woman he loved. He had gone for a ride and seen for himself that in spite of the way things looked on the outside, she was falling apart.

He had then driven around to see other people in his life and realized that if he wasn't around to save them, they would just move on to using someone else who would.

_Carly_, who came to him with every single crisis in his life constantly wanted his help, she only was supportive of him at that time because it meant Elizabeth was out of his life. What kind of best friend didn't tell him to work things out, she had with Sam, with Courtney. Yet with the woman who was the mother of his child, she had told him that someday he would be happy again. When he had realized that he had started working on a plan, but it had taken someone else's plan for him to finally figure out a way to freedom.

_Spinelli,_ had only brought more chaos and trouble to him. He had gotten him out of the business and into the detective agency to slowly separate him from Jason's world, but instead the kid seemed to get in deeper every time he turned around. And his constant companion Maxie seemed to think she ran his life. Jason had been upset when he figure out that Mexico wouldn't have been necessary if he had just done what he had promised earlier that year, until yet another woman had distracted the kid.

Then there was _Sonny,_ his former partner/supposed best friend. He was married to the woman who had hurt Kate. Flirting with her cousin, and yet when there was a problem with his family, instead of dealing with it himself, he pawned the mess off on Jason.

He should have figured out years ago, that his friend was only out for the main chance when he had gone to him about Johnny O'Brien.

As for Sam, well he hadn't known what to do with her. If he had pushed her away, he had been scared she would go after his family. He hadn't stop to think that Elizabeth would think her being around meant they were back together. He still didn't get how that had happened.

When he had left his double in Mexico, it was with strict orders, to protect Elizabeth with his life freeing Jason up to chase down whoever was behind the mess with Jake getting kidnapped. Then Jerry had shown up, he had been shot and AJ had panicked and taken him to the nearest hospital leaving his doppelganger without complete information. That mess had cost his love so much and now he was going to have to help her rebuild her heart.

Sighing heavily, Jason saw the lights go out in the boys room then a nightlight go on. Walking up the steps to the front door, he quietly picked the lock and then knocked. When he heard footsteps coming to the door, he pushed it in, knocking Johnny on his ass.

The gangster pulled his gun on the intruder, he had to protect those boys. Raising the gun to fire, he stopped astonished to see Jason Morgan standing in front of him. "You? How the hell and what is up with your hair?"

Reaching down to pull the man to his feet, Jason slugged him in the mouth then pushed him onto the sofa in the parlor. "I will be asking the questions. Why did you grab Elizabeth's sons?"

"Don't you mean your son?" asked the dark haired man as he picked up the cloth that Morgan threw at him and pressed it to the blood flowing from his mouth.

"They are both mine. Now start talking."

"When the warehouse exploded, I fled and saw the minivan. The suitcases in the back and I knew she was planning on leaving town and the users behind. When I heard she died, I grabbed the boys. I wasn't going to let you and that whore you call a fuck buddy ruin their lives." he said scornfully then once again looked at the longer blond hair. "But then it wasn't you was it?"

Realizing that Johnny hadn't meant harm to his sons. Jason sat down and took time to get his breathing under control. "No, it wasn't. I had a friend take my place so that I could track down something."

"Your so called friend, he is a screw up. Sleeping with Sam just created even bigger problems." he said then stood saying. "I have to get some ice so this doesn't swell, if you don't want the boys scared."

"Who says they are staying with you?" he sneered.

"They might not be staying here, but right now I don't trust you to do what is best for them, you hadn't yet. Instead it has been what is best for your friends, for Carly Jacks, for that idiot Spinelli and for you. Never what is best for Elizabeth Webber or for the boys."

"I thought what I was doing was for them." he admitted. "Trust me, you are only the latest in a very long line to rip into me for my mistakes. We need to get all this packed up. You and the boys are coming with me."

Johnny looked him into the eyes and said bluntly. "We are not going back to that horror house called

Port Charles, I am not letting those boys turn out like me."

Jason glared then said "Why do you care?"

"I kept an eye on her and the boys, every since my father figured out that you loved her and that one of the boys was yours biologically."

Turning white, Jason said "How?"

"I don't know. But I do know that you can thank Ric Lansing for his getting distracted enough to stop him from going after them."

Jason's hands were shaking as he realized that Diane had been right, he had been living in a fool's paradise. "We aren't going to PC. But for your own sake, I can't tell you were we will be staying until we get there."

!!*!!

Tom played the conversation with Jeff for Elizabeth, then asked "Do you want to talk about it?"

Over the next two hours, he slowly drew from his niece her feelings that she was responsible for her family's fights, how she had heard that her mother wanted to abort her. How Carolyn had belittled her and how she had felt her father had abandoned her.

When they got to Elizabeth being left in Colorado, she froze and would go no further. Stubbornly she retreated into the angry teenager she had been on the day she left Boulder for Port Charles.

When she told him to get out of her bedroom, then slammed the door, Tom heard the room being tossed then nothing as Elizabeth curled up and cried herself to sleep.

"What was that?" asked AJ from where he was standing.

"She has dealt with her feelings of worthlessness. She has come to realize that what happened wasn't her fault, that her father did love her even if Carolyn didn't. She also knows that Carolyn didn't love her for one reason, she didn't want children with Jeff."

"Then why did she marry him?" he asked confused.

"Money, status and because she was an unwed mother." replied Tom. "She is going to need some sleep, then I will work with her on ending up in town. But we have to face that dealing with her rape, it is going to take quite a bit longer than today."

"The only good thing might be that rebuilding her self-esteem is going to help with dealing with the rape. Instead of hearing how Lucky saved her, she might face the fact that if he had only done what he promised she might not have been in the park alone."

"What do you mean?" asked Tom wondering what this man knew.

"I tried to remember everything going on then, but I was pretty drunk most of the time. One thing I do remember, Lucky was supposed to have been her date then stood her up to go with Sarah."

Tom slammed his way out of the room and went to call his mother. "Mom, I was remembering

Elizabeth and someone told me a story, I need to know if it could possibly be true."

When Audrey first heard what he had to say, she said "No, she had a date with a football... oh my god. I think it was true." With that the elderly woman looked at Steven and told him what Tom had heard.

Closing his eyes, he said "Sarah knew, she had to. I would guess that is why she she asked Lucky, that and to make Nik jealous."

Telling Tom about that time period, Audrey felt like a weight had settled on her heart. "I never knew."

Steven hugged his grandmother after she had hung up the phone. "I didn't either. Lucky Spencer has a lot to answer for."

With a sigh, "You have no idea. I don't know how many times we have expected Elizabeth to help him thinking that they could help one another. But if he did stand her up, it was more than likely guilt that was behind his helping her in the first place."

"I need to go to Elizabeth's grave." she said. Walking to her car, she never saw the man following her as she drove to the cemetery. She had insisted on bringing Elizabeth with them since Port Charles had never done her any favors.

Picking up flowers, Audrey placed them in front of the tombstone and quietly talked to her granddaughter. Breaking down in tears, she apologized for her part in the past. "I hope we find your boys soon. I promise I will help Steven raise them."

Lucky left, furious to realize that Audrey didn't have his son. Where the heck were those boys? Taking the first flight home, he arrived at the Haunted Star just as his father was arrested by the IRS.

Calling Alexis on his behalf, he then went to the station and asked for Mac.

"Mac Scorpio is no longer the commissioner. The governor stepped in and appointed someone." replied his former partner. "Mac resigned a few days after the explosion at the warehouse."

"I need some help locating my kid." he said only to be handed some forms. "You need to fill these out."

"I don't have time to fill out forms." he said tossing them down. "I think they were grabbed because of the lie that Elizabeth told. Thanks to her, my son is more than likely dead."

"Mr. Spencer are you here to report a murder or a kidnapping?" Turning Lucky saw a short man with a receding hairline walking from the interrogation room.

"Who are you?"

"Commissioner Abbott, now I have report on file in reference to the disappearance of Jacob Martin and Cameron Steven Webber. Their grandmother filed it. The FBI is investigating the case. For now, unless you have some information, please let us do our job."

"I want to talk to my father." he said only for Alexis to arrive and say. "I need to speak to him first."

Letting in the attorney, Abbott went to his office and read the file on Luke Spencer. Whoever had given him up had done a thorough job. They had dates, times, payments, and that he had funneled money that should have paid his taxes into off-shore accounts. Mr. Spencer must had missed the memo that the feds were tracking down those accounts and requiring their owners to pay taxes on that money.

Luke leaned back and said with a smile in his voice, "So Natasha, how soon can you get me out of here?"

Reading the files, she looked up and said "I can't, you have really done it this time. They have the Cayman accounts Luke. The false passports, the ..." with a groan she said "Please tell me you weren't involved with these fake papers that have been floating around."

"I won't, if it will help you get me free." he said.

Alexis sighed, Luke was living in a different world now, the man just didn't get that after 9/11 things had changed. "Luke there is no getting out of this one and this time you dragged your own kids into it."

"How did I do that?" he asked only for her to say "They are listed on the ownership papers, doesn't matter that it was just you. Ethan, Lucky and Lulu are all going to be charged as accessories after the fact. I might be able to help them, but you old friend, you are going to prison or worse."

"I don't think they have the death penalty for forging a few papers." he said only for her to slap her hand on the table.

"Wrong, have you ever heard of the Patriot Act. Creating fake passports? False identity papers, social security cards? Your best bet is to plead guilty to the charges from the IRS and hope that Homeland Security doesn't make you disappear."

"But darlin', I am only taking back what..."

"Luke, grow up. It's a new world out there. Who knows who ended up with those passports. There is no out, not this time. You are going to jail." she said emphasizing the word jail.

Lucky was on his way out of the building when he saw Lulu and Ethan in cuffs being led in. "What is this?"

The agent looked at the man then the picture in his pocket and said "Lucas Lorenzo Spencer Jr.?"

"Yes, now why is my sister and brother in cuffs?"

"You are under arrest..." Before Lucky could say anything else, he found himself finger printed and photographed.

!!*!!

Mac went to the forth mark on the bridge and bent down to pick up the taped envelope. Inside was a key and a note. Reading the note, he was pissed there was just another clue. Getting ready to toss the manila packaging, he heard something crumple inside. Pulling it out, he saw the black and white photo and knew why he had been dragged into the middle of this.

Taking out the clue, he read the paper and then shook his head. Calling the airport, he found the next plane wasn't for six hours, but that there was a train leaving downtown Boston in two hours. Thinking things through, he knew he would be in New York quicker by train.

Rushing to his bed and breakfast, he quickly checked out and was on his way to the station. Rushing to the check in desk, he was told they only had a first class compartment available.

Giving them his name, he was shocked to find that someone had arranged to pay for it when he eventually showed up. Hurrying aboard, he was just sitting down when the Porter came along to check tickets. "The dining car will open up in fifteen minutes and if you are in need of Internet access, please wait until then to try and log on."

Nodding, Mac decided that when he got to New York his first purchase was going to be a laptop. It might help cut down on all of the needless running around he had been doing. He could also try tracking down Jason Morgan's connection to Morgan Motorcycles, he doubted that was a coincidence.

!!*!!

Jason and Johnny had loaded the boys into the car, then went to find out when the next train left for the continent. "Why England? Why not Italy?"

"Because the boys spoke the language and I figured that we could all learn whatever language came next together." said John as he sat in the car. "Have you found out how we are going to do this?"

"Train to Calais, then we travel by car to Lyon. The boys know me so that should help. I am going to tell them we are taking them to their mother."

"Don't! You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, I just told them we would be looking for her." said Johnny only to see Jason glaring. "What?"

"Your kidnapping the kids, screwed up the entire plan, I AM taking them to their mother. Elizabeth was hurt in the explosion but mostly it is emotional damage from my stupid plan." he said swearing at himself.

Johnny closed his eyes in pain and said "Elizabeth is alive. Fuck, I just stole two little boys from their mother, who didn't deserve it."

"Yes, but I am grateful because not I don't have to rely on our backup plan for the boys. And for the record, I didn't have anything to do with Claudia. Not to say if I had been there there wouldn't have been retribution, but whatever happened it wasn't me. I had my own plan in regards to your sister."

"It was a mistake, Morgan. She wanted to make Sonny pay, that moron Devlin shot at him in spite of Michael being there. I know you don't believe it, but she would have never deliberately hurt a kid."

Taking a chance, Jason sighed then said "I know. I am aware of her plan for Mexico, but she had no idea that Spinelli and Sam had their own plan. Jerry escaped because of something that she had no control over."

"What are you talking about?" he asked looking at the man behind the wheel.

"Your sister, sent Jerry after me, to protect herself, I get that, but then she sent someone after Jerry.

Unfortunately, that was also me. I have been working with someone and I needed to be in two places at once a few times. I have someone that helps."

"The double in Port Charles." he said getting it. "So, what went wrong."

"I don't know, not really. I had to take Sam with me to keep her out of town, so that my other partner could do some work, but he found out who we were chasing and decided to help. I ended up taking four bullets, but my lookalike was shot as well."

"My partner got me to safety then made sure to guide the kids home while I was unconscious, somehow during this time, my double ended up replacing me in Port Charles. We aren't real sure on that part. We only have second hand information."

"How did you end up a bleach blond, if you tell me that, I will fill you in on what I know about Port Charles." he offered still curious about the hair.

"My br- partner did this. Or rather hired someone to. He had been tracking my double, needing my help- but things exploded too quickly. We went to Europe after I reached my double, leaving messages for him to protect Elizabeth."

"Does he even know that Jake is your son?" Johnny quietly asked.

"Yes, but he believes I don't care. I don't completely trust him and didn't want to give him a weapon to use against me." he admitted. "He has his own reasons for being involved that have nothing to do with helping me."

"Fine, I will let that go. From the rumors I heard, keeping in mind they came from Maxie and Lulu, Sam and fuck, what do we call your double..."

Jason gave a quick grin then looked at Johnny and realized that wouldn't work. "Uh, how about Brian."

"Okay, Brian and Sam reconnected, supposedly having sex all over the place down there. They made quite a point of talking about it in front of Elizabeth." he admitted.

Groaning and thinking about what Sam had done to his family, he knew Elizabeth would take that as a slap in the face. At least he now knew what led her into the mess with Nik and Lucky, this entire thing had been his own fault.

"There is more, you started acting strange." telling him about the gun at the carnival, the quick visit when Jake was hurt, the way Sam seemed to stick close, then he added. "This Brian has been acting strangely for months, when around mirrors. I mean really strange, he smashed one."

Jason thought about it then said "My partner said he thought he was acting weird when he went back to check on him when Sam was helping him recover. My spy in town said he has suffered a traumatic brain injury, this after one not long ago. When the church fell on him, … I wonder if he even knows he isn't me."

"I don't know, but there were a few rumors floating around the day I left, Sam is pregnant and it is "Brian's."

"Do you know if Elizabeth was aware of this?" he asked the younger man.

"Yes, I heard her shouting at Jas-well Brian." admitted John. "It's one of the reasons I took the boys."

!!*!!

Elizabeth was asleep when AJ checked on her, brushing her hair off of her face, he was reminded of his own sister, and knew that she would want them to do whatever they could for her best friend. Sitting in the chair, he covered her when she kicked her blankets off while tossing and turning during a nightmare.

When she called out his brother's name, AJ couldn't help thinking that if he had only realized the truth years ago, none of this would have happened. He wouldn't have ended up where he had been and maybe none of the others would have either.

He went to make a call and got the latest from Port Charles. "So it has begun."

"The Spencer's are under arrest, did you do something to have Mac Scorpio leave town?" asked Epiphany.

"Yes, but not because of this, we arranged that for another reason, the same one Jason came to you about." replied AJ. "Did you take care of the other matter?"

"Yes, the files on are their way to Dr. Webber. Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked looking at the photo of Stan and missing her late son. When AJ had come to her with proof of how he had died and who was behind it, she had been furious and full of rage, now she was just determined to make those who felt they were above the law pay.

"No, we did locate the boys, they will be with us in a couple of days. It wasn't business, it was someone trying to protect them from Jason's friends, according to my partner."

"Well, tell that partner, things here are going to get hairy soon unless he steps up his plan. I saw a certain woman with an FBI agent, making deals."

With a cold smile, AJ said thanks for the warning and then hung up. "Things are right on schedule."

Spinelli was visiting with Jason when Sam returned from her doctor visit. Touching her belly, she smiled at the man in the bed and said "Everything is right with our little one. Dr. Lee says it is too soon to know if we are having a little boy or girl."

Spinelli stood and awkwardly hugged her just as Maxie entered. "Does this mean I get to be a godparent?" he said excitedly.

Sam agreed, knowing that they wouldn't be here when the baby was born. Turning to Maxie, she said "I would love to ask you, but we both know that Jason is going to want Carly to be the godmother to his first born."

Nodding and not the slightest bit hurt, Maxie just stared at Jason. "I was hoping to get you out of here for a while, you need fresh air for the baby and Jason will understand."

"Sure, but first, I need to talk to Spinelli real quick." said Sam. "Could you please make sure that Carly knows we are going outside so she will sit with Jason."

Finding the blond arguing with her husband who was pushing a baby stroller, Maxie passed on the message and then moved further down the corridor, she didn't want to hear yet another fight between the Jacks in regards to Jason and Carly's obsessive need to be at the hospital all the time.

Sam turned to Spinelli as soon as the door closed and asked "Can you do me a favor, track down Jason's money. I am worried that since someone cleaned out Elizabeth's account they might make a run on Jason's since that is where the money came from."

"I will protect Stone Cold's lucre like it was my own." he promised pulling his laptop case up to his chest in excitement.

!!*!!

AJ made the call only for the dark haired man on the other end to say "I have nothing about this in the computer. I will do some checking then make a point of heading there myself. Do you know if she has anything legitimate on him?"

"We don't know and I don't care. I want him to pay, but frankly I think she is going to do a runner from their custody anyhow. Can you do something about it?"

Looking at the loud blond who just walked into the headquarters of the Arizona office, the agent in charge said "Yup, I have the perfect agent to be in charge of her. What about the man?"

"He is a friend, but she is unaware that it isn't Jason." he said then thinking about his son, said "What if she implicates Michael?"

"We will do our best, but AJ, you know he is determined to follow in Sonny's footsteps. They have an undercover cop in there, he is trying to get through to the kid, but so far it isn't working. I am sorry

man." he said regretfully.

"I just want to give him a chance. I did so many things wrong, I should have made better choices." said a sad AJ as he thought about how lost Michael was. Walking to the door after hanging up, he looked out over the sea and couldn't help thinking about the past.

!!*!!

Sonny was talking to Olivia about her missing boy toy when the phone rang. "Boss, we have a problem, can you meet me at Carly's old club." said a grim Max.

Telling the guard he would be right there, Sonny thanked Olivia for helping him see that Alexis was right in regards to Kristina then went to the club. "What is it?"

"Dominic is a cop." Seeing Sonny's shock, Max added "I double checked it. NYPD. There is more, he specifically asked for this assignment. I am waiting for Jason's geek to join us so I can get the complete police jacket."

"I don't care. Are you sure he is a cop?" asked Sonny grimly. Seeing the big Italian nod, he took out his phone and called the younger man. "I have an assignment for you. Meet me at the old bridge out by Vista Point."

Dante called his boss and said "I think I finally have his trust. He wants me for an assignment."

"Be careful, I know you don't like wires but you can't be too careful with this man. He has survived in his world by being ruthless not stupid." Warned Ron.

"True, but we all know most of the careful plotting comes from Morgan." he said grabbing his gun and heading out. Calling his mother, he told her he would see her for a late dinner.

Arriving at the isolated spot, he found himself tied up and his head covered. "A COP, A FUCKING COP. YOU ARE GOING TO PAY YOU LITTLE ASSHOLE. I TRUSTED YOU. I LET YOU AROUND MY FAMILY AND YOU BETRAYED ME!"

When they arrived at the sanitarium, Dante had broken ribs and could barely breath. Sonny looked coldly at the kid tied up and said "Get me the truth."

Max and Milo worked over the little shit and got nothing then his head went down and he could barely breath. "Boss, I think a rib punctured his lung."

"Fine, when he is dead, take him to the old bridge and toss him off." Moving closer to the bastard, Sonny said "I want you to die knowing that I will take great pleasure in using you as an example to those who betray me."

Breathing desperately, Dante spit in his face and used his last breath to say "You are no more than a two bit hood who got lucky. I may die, but my mother will never forgive you. And she isn't someone you want on your bad side. You will pay you bastard."

"Like I am worried about the woman who whelped you. You are nothing." said Sonny wiping off the spit. When the kid was dead, he kicked him in the balls and then said "Find Lulu Spencer, she might need to be handled, see what she knows."

Hearing the ringing of a phone, Max looked at Milo then at the man tied to the chair. "Sonny, I think he has a phone."

"Get it, track down who he called. Get me names." he said coldly before leaving the room.

When he arrived home, he saw Michael sitting there, telling the guards to deal with something. "Belay that order. Michael come with me, now."

When they arrived at the bridge, Michael saw the limp and beat up body of Dominic being tossed over.

"That is what your future is if you keep trying to live in my world. Is that what you want, to know where the bodies are buried? To kill people?"

Seeing the wild expression on his father's face, Michael said "Yes, I want that power, I want to be the one giving orders for others to die. I want the respect you get."

Sonny shook his head, realizing he wasn't getting through to his son. Maybe Alexis was right, maybe sending Kristina away was the best way to handle this. "Fine, you want to work in this business, when school is out this summer you go to San Juan, learn the casino part from the bottom up."

"Why should I do that, I should be your second in command." he protested only for Sonny to stare at him.

"It doesn't work that way, you need to learn. Do you really expect to earn the respect of the men that way?"

"They should respect me because I am your son." he pointed out.

"They won't and you can't kill them to get it. Your idea of my life is nothing like reality. I didn't just start out in charge, I moved up and got … well, I took an opportunity. Earn it, Michael or I will give the entire thing to someone else."

"What about Uncle Jason?" he asked suddenly worried, his uncle had made it very clear that he didn't want Michael involved.

"Your uncle has a weakness, one I can exploit, are you sure you want this, because that is what this life is about. Finding weaknesses and exploiting them."

"Sure but what is Uncle Jason's besides Mom and us? Sam?"

With a sick bitter chuckle, Sonny said "no, his son."

"What son?" asked Michael suddenly jealous, he had always been the only child in his Uncle's life.

"The one he has with Elizabeth Webber. Spinelli fixed the tests for some reason, but your uncle pretends not to care, but that little boy is his Achilles heel."

Michael kept inside of him the rage at the idea of Jason having a son. "Besides, Sam is pregnant as well. Either kid will do if we can't locate Jake."

Hearing the news, he vowed that by the time his Uncle woke up, there would not be any kid and no one would trace Sam losing it to him.

Robin was working on the files and saw the other anomaly. Jason, rather the man lying in the bed using Jason's name didn't have any previous scarring from brain damage, something they should have noticed long before.

Taking the blood sample, she wrote up a file with the correct information and put it into the computer taking the original Jason file and putting it under a different name. Hearing a knock on the door, she said "Come in."

"Robin, I heard the plastic surgeon is to start working on Jason this afternoon. Does he need any photos of him?" asked Carly.

"No, he works from the bone structure, it is why he is one of the best in the world. Carly, did you notice any of the changes we were discussing earlier?"

"No, like I said when Patrick asked, no I mean he was more irritable but I just thought that he had too much on his plate. I can't wait for him to wake up, we need to hold Jocelyn's christening soon."

"He will wake up on his own schedule but it shouldn't be too much longer. Dr. Steadman said he woke up for a few minutes during his exam before falling back unconscious from the pain."

"Why weren't we informed so we could talk to him?" she snapped.

"Carly, it was for a mere minute and we did tell Sam." she said.

!!*!!

Monica was standing at the foot of Jason's bed, not feeling any kind of pull for her son. It bothered her, but she had decided that this time, he had gone too far and she just couldn't forgive him for what he had done.

Touching his feet, she bowed her head, and finally was letting him go when she felt the blanket slip off his legs. Seeing the birth mark on the lower leg, she stopped and stared.

Moving towards the door, she went quietly to call Gail. "I don't know who it is in that bed, but it isn't my son. What should I do?"

"Nothing, I just had a call from Audrey. Mac Scorpio suggested she leave town, may I suggest a quick trip out of town."

"What do you know?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing more than I told you, but Audrey sounded remarkably upbeat after talking to the man."

"I need to talk to Edward, suggest maybe a visit to Ireland." she said before hanging up.

Lulu thanked Alexis as they handed her her personal effects.. Calling Kate she learned the woman was in meetings and that she had ordered Lulu to the office as soon as possible. Turning to her brothers, she thanked Nik for bailing her out then asked what would happen next?

"For your dad, he is going to be allowed to plead guilty or to trial. There is no out on this one. He is facing 25 years to life in prison. As for the three of you, I talked to the DA, she is going for probation."

"But we didn't---" Lulu had just turned her phone on when it rang. "Milo?"

Whatever he asked she was shaking her head no. Then with a guilty look said "I can meet you in ten minutes, but are you sure?"

Hanging up, she said "Dominic was supposed to meet Sonny and never showed up. They found his car out at Vista Point and wanted to know if I had seen him."

A bit surprised at the way it was being handled, Alexis felt her eyes widen as she realized they were using Lulu as an alibi for some reason. Shit, she thought. They killed him.

"Uh, boss we have several calls to Olivia Falconari on the cell phone."

Sonny's head snapped up and then he took the list. "Find out where she is, now!"

Fifteen minutes, later Spinelli wandered in while they were talking. "Godfather, I found something weird, a connection to the smart bossy one."

"In English you twit." said the Cuban.

"Dominic aka Dante Falconari is the son of Olivia Falconari."

Sonny closed his eyes, then asked "Who is his father?"

"It is listed as father unknown, does you want me to keep checking."

"Yes!" snapped the Cuban who then had Max drive him to visit Kate Howard, seeing Michael talking calmly with his grandmother and Jax after what he had seen earlier, scared Sonny but he just kept heading to the elevator.

Entering Kate's office, he saw Lulu there. "I need you to get out."

"Stop telling people what to do where I work, we are no longer together and I no longer find it charming." snapped Kate.

Lulu left quickly, she had just been lectured and demoted by her boss for something that she had no control over. Calling Dominic's mother's phone, she asked "Have you seen your son?"

"No, why?"

"Sonny is looking for him and just came over here to the office furious with Kate about something."

Swearing to herself, Olivia left the offices of Jacks' enterprises and hurried over to prevent a disaster but was too late, just as she walked in the door, she heard Kate informing Sonny that Dante was his son.

As she entered, trying to do damage control both women were shocked when Sonny grabbed his heart and keeled over.

"Should we call 911?" asked Kate from behind her desk.

Stunned, Olivia did just that then asked her sister what was going on. With a sad look, Kate said "I hope I am wrong, but have you talked to Dante today. I mean like in the last couple of hours?"

"No, why? I mean that blond of yours was looking for him, she mentioned..." Olivia broke down just as the paramedics arrived. While they were working on the Cuban, she numbly walked out of the office and down the stairs while Kate ordered her assistant to track down Carly.

Arriving in the lobby, Olivia sat down and cried "Olivia, are you okay?"

Looking up at Jax, she said "Can you do me a favor, try and find my son. I need to see Carly."

Calling over to his wife, he told her that Olivia needed her. "I can't. Maxie just called, Sonny had a heart attack in Kate's office. I thought he was done with the paper doll."

Turning to Bobbie, the Aussie asked her to take Olivia to GH then went to try and find her son.

When they arrived, Sam saw the commotion from the doorway of Jason's room and heard them saying that Sonny was going to need bypass surgery. Seeing Carly greeting Olivia she moved closer hoping to get something else to take to the FBI.

When Kate entered, Carly snapped "What did you do to Sonny?"

"I do? Nothing, I have never done anything to that rat bastard, he is the reason I was shot, your son was responsible for the first time. And unless I am wrong, he just killed my nephew."

"What nephew?" she asked looking at Olivia who was staring at an entering Michael

With no foresight to what was about to happen, she said "Dante, my son and Sonny's eldest. Your ex-husband killed him, and unless I am totally off my rocker, your little brain damaged nutjob helped.

Didn't you? You killed your own brother, didn't you?"

Michael just gave her a eerie smile and walked away. Carly was horrified, staring at the arrogant gait of the blond who was heading for the exit, she wanted to protest what she was saying but she knew.

"When did Sonny find out he was his son? And why do you think Michael was involved?"

"I told Sonny about Dante." said Kate quietly. "As for Michael, he had been jealous of Dante even before tonight. It was only a matter of time. Carly, you reap what you sow. And Sonny and you, you sowed a little bastard. If you were smart you would cut your losses now, before you lose Morgan and Jocelyn as well."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5 Awakenings

_**Chapter 5: Awakenings**_

_There is something that has within us that has the power to awaken us to the truth_

Johnny took over driving just outside of Paris, while Jason moved to the passenger seat. As they skirted the city, they heard a gasp from the back seat as Cam unhooked his child safety seat to look out the window better. "Wow, it is really pretty."

"Pull in at the Eiffel Tower," Jason said quietly then saw Cam turn and look at him with excitement, the blond mobster barely able to restrain the excited youngster.

"JASON!!!!" he shouted excited. "You are here? Why's you here?"

"We are taking you to your Mommy." he said looking at his son. "She is going to be worried about you."

"Why's we stopping?" he asked as they pulled in front of the pretty tower with all the lights.

"I thought we would travel to the top, if you want." he said quietly.

"YES,, wake up, Jakey, we's going to go explorin'." he announced when the blond raised his head from the side of his booster.

Johnny stood back a little watching Jason with the two boys and had to admit that whatever else had been going on, he did love them. It made him wonder even more why he hadn't told the people in his life to go to hell and ran off with his family. He could still recall the night of the ball and Jason embracing Elizabeth as they hurried into the barn.

He loved the woman, adored the boys, yet stayed at the beck and call of people who treated her like crap and had as long Johnny had been in town.

When Jake and Cam had looked their full, they slowly headed back to the car, as Cam kept staring around at everything. "Why is the cars going so fast?"

!!*!!

Mac had arrived in town and found his way to the Library hotel like the note recommended, when he found the room he had been assigned he was not amused to be in the Geography and Travel room. Sitting down on the bed, he took out the note then went to find a travel guide for New York City. Finding several, he tossed down the two Frommer's guides, the Fodor's travel guide as well as the Insider's guide.

Shaking his head, he sat down and started to read hoping to find a connection to the clue. Tossing it down, he looked at the note again. Between Patience and Fortitude stand the bronze portals to the gift of knowledge. When you have received your membership card, the knowledge you gain will last a lifetime, or TWO.

Trying to let it go for the moment, Mac went to find an electronics store. Purchasing a laptop, he added a carrying case and a few other purchases before calling Felicia. "Have you tried to talk to Maxie?"

"I did, but she is insisting on staying there. Mac, what is going on, why do you want Maxie out of town?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing concrete, but with Morgan down, his pal Spinelli might have a target on his back for his mob enemies. We know that we can't rely on Sonny to protect anyone."

"I was talking to Bobbie, after Maxie refused to come visit. Sonny had a heart attack last night. The police are swarming around because one of their undercover men is missing and there is a rumor that Sonny killed him while Michael watched."

Mac wished he could say he didn't see it coming, but he had for a very long time. Michael Corinthos Jr was going to be just like his adoptive father. "I have to make a call."

"Keep me informed, please." she asked before hanging up. Mac made a quick call to Port Charles, and heard from his replacement that everything Felicia had told him was true.

"Thanks for the recommendation to the Governor, I do have to ask, how long am I going to be here?" asked Abbott bluntly.

"I am honestly not sure. Just protect your rear, things have a way of disappearing from the station when investigating Corinthos." he warned. "Can you tell me what you have?"

"Officer Falconari had a meeting with Corinthos yesterday out at a bridge, supposedly he never showed up. Since he refused to wear a wire, we have no idea what went down but last night, Lulu Spencer was asked if she had seen the man in question. An hour later, Corinthos visited his ex-fiancee Kate Howard, who apparently confirmed that Olivia Falconari, her cousin was our officer's mother."

"Corinthos keeled over, at the private hospital, Miss Falconari and Ms Howard indicated that they believed Mr. Corinthos was behind the disappearance and more than likely death of Dante. Mr. Corinthos Jr, left the hospital and then tried to order his father's men around. Our contact inside said that Mr. Giambetti, the elder took the blond to an emergency meeting of the families where if by the way things are falling out around here, he was told he wasn't in charge of his father's organization and for him to step down and let Mr. Giambetti run things."

"How do you know that?" asked Mac.

"The Italian is the one giving orders for the protection detail they have on Corinthos and according to the man I have following him there was a huge argument with the Corinthos/Morgan attorney."

"Anything else?"

"The kid, he has been seen at the hospital supporting his mother who hasn't left his father's bedside. Thing is, I thought she was married to Jacks and just had a kid with him."

"She is, she did, but that is Carly for you. Her next move is going to be to cling to Morgan. How is he doing?"

"Under the knife even as we speak. One thing though, the surgeon, we have him bugged. He had a call from London yesterday, from a face doctor there, call seemed coded. Then when we checked it out, we found the real doctor in Switzerland attending a convention."

"What do you think is up?"

"I don't know, I have men working on the code, but since we can't use a computer so as to prevent Morgan's geek from getting the information, we are finding it a slow go. How did you figure out that he had a worm in your computer."

"A hunch, be careful there, my daughter will do stupid things to help him. And she knows her way around the department."

"Like we promised, unless she is implicated in murder or a class A felony, she will go free." said Abbott. "Raynor is back in town, by the way, acting rather smug."

"Let him be, he will fall on his face, they all do." said a tired Mac. "I need to get some sleep, can you keep me informed on Corinthos and his kid?"

!!*!!

AJ was asleep on the sofa when he heard the screaming. Seeing Tom rushing in to where Elizabeth was having a nightmare, he moved to the doorway in case he was needed. Watching as her uncle tried to calm the small brunette, AJ realized she was reliving the nightmare of her rape. Quickly and quietly, he left them alone. Elizabeth didn't need to have him there witnessing her dealing with this.

Tom tried waking Elizabeth, but was getting no where's when her eyes suddenly popped open. Reaching out for her uncle, she pulled him into an adrenaline fueled hug. After a crying bout, she took the offered towel and with a bowed head accepted his offer to talk about what had happened.

"There isn't much to talk about, at least not that you want to hear." she said quietly.

"Talk to me, Elizabeth. For once believe that someone is going to be here for you without wanting something from you in exchange." he replied.

"It's, it's just difficult. The thoughts are all jumbled in my head. Anger at my rapist, anger at grams, at Sarah, Lucky... and then it seems like they want me to be grateful for the help they gave me."

"What do you mean?" he asked sitting back a little.

"My rapist, the man who hurt me, I don't remember who he is." she said. "Was he ever caught?"

"Yes, he went to prison, not for the rape, but he did end up in prison, he died there."

"Good." she said in a vicious hard tone. "He took something from me. I am not just talking about my innocence, more like... what little confidence I had gained since leaving Boulder."

Hugging her, he asked "What did the others want?"

"Sarah wanted it to go away, she kept saying I was acting out. Grams, she didn't want to face her past, so she refused to believe me." Elizabeth felt like she was describing someone else's life, but found it soothing as she faced up to her problems.

"Do you think they felt guilty, that they didn't do something to prevent this from happening to you?" he asked trying for a clinical tone.

"Grams, maybe, I felt so guilty about her bracelet from Grandpa Steve. She kept saying it didn't matter, but I knew that she was upset about losing it. Then there is Lucky. I knew he didn't like me that way, but I wanted to fool myself into believing he wanted to date me."

"Then afterwords, he was there for me. I fell in love with him for that. For caring for me." Elizabeth had begun to realize that that love had come with strings, ones she was still tied to because of her own insecurities.

"But in the end, didn't you end up supporting him when he dealt with learning his mother's past?"

"Yes, but at the time, it seemed like he was the only one who believe me, who cared about me." she said softly. "Dad and Mom didn't. Everyone else just stared at me. I couldn't handle it and Lucky seemed to act as a buffer for me."

"At the time..." Tom had the feeling his niece had had a major breakthrough.

"Yes, it was a what do you call it, extreme circumstances, I should have given myself time, but I just wanted someone to love me for me. But Lucky, he loved the rape victim the person who needed help." she slowly stuttered as she realized that thought had been at the back of her mind for years.

Tom just left her talk, and then when she started crying again, he said "There are people who love you for you. I wish I had been there, god, I wish I had known. Mom, she loves you, from what we talked about, she was horrified, that bracelet, to her it became a symbol of what she considered her neglect of you."

I wish I could talk to her." Tom didn't know how Audrey would react if she knew the truth, but knew that Elizabeth's mental health was more important than the secret. Calling Boulder, he asked Steven to go someplace private.

"Elizabeth is alive. We brought her to safety, you can't tell anyone except Audrey if you think she can keep the secret." he bluntly told his nephew.

Shaking slightly, Steven sat down and said "Is she okay?"

"Physically, yes. Emotionally, no. She has been having a huge PTSD episode, I still don't know how all of you missed it. She went into mental lock-down mode. Right now she is dealing with her rape again, and I think that she needs to talk to Mother."

"Give me an hour, then call back." said Steven. "Uncle Tom, do you have the boys?"

"No, but we found them. They are on their way here with the person who set this up."

"Thank god." he said before going to find Audrey. The elderly woman was sitting in Elizabeth's old bedroom looking through one of her sketchbooks. "She is pretty good, isn't she."

"Yes, she was. I spent so much time discouraging her from drawing, from living life the way she wanted. Why?" She asked closing the book and putting her hand on the cover.

"You might want to figure that answer out after I tell you my news. First, the boys are safe. Tom says they are on the way to wherever he is."

With a grateful thanks to the gods, Audrey said "What else?"

"Turns out, Elizabeth is alive. She was hurt badly, but wherever Tom is, so is she." Filling his grandmother in, he explained that his uncle thought it might be safer if they didn't come to them.

"B-but she is going to need us. The boys too. If she is stuck at age 15..."

Setting the older woman back down, Steven said "We know that Lucky has been trailing us, having that geek of Morgan's keep an eye on us. Let's not draw attention to Elizabeth while she is vulnerable."

"I understand, but I need to see her, let her know..." with a forlorn laugh, Audrey said "I was going to say let her know that I have known for a while about Jason being Jake's father. That I was keeping the secret for what? Because in truth, I have no real idea why I kept it a secret."

"Then just let her ask you what she needs. Let Uncle Tom help her heal."

Audrey took the phone from Steven when Tom called, "Grams, do you hate me for the bracelet?"

With tears running down her face, Audrey said "God, no. I never hated you. I should have taken better care of you. I should have stood by you, not let others do it. You shouldn't have had to rely on Lucky Spencer to be your support, when you had nightmares, you should have have been able to trust me to deal with your pain. I let you down so many ways, Lizzie."

Elizabeth used the back of her hand to wipe the tears off her face as she and her grams talked long into the morning in Europe and night in Boulder. When they hung up, Audrey went to wash her face then sat down and made a list.

"Grams, what are you doing?" asked Steven after he finished talking to Tom.

"Making a list of all the things I did stupidly in the past and how I am going to change them in the future." she vowed then looking at her grandson, said "You know, you and Elizabeth, I always had to try harder with the two of you. Sarah was easier, all she wanted was pretty sparkly things and she would say she loved whomever bought them for her. You two, your love couldn't be bought."

Hugging the woman, he said "We need to head up to bed soon, I might have an idea of how to help with Spencer and the computer geek."

!!*!!

Jason woke up just as they arrived in Lyon. "Where to now?" asked Johnny as he stood and stretched at the rest stop. As they took the boys inside, Jason said "I have to arrange a boat once we arrive in Nice."

"Please tell me we aren't going to Italy." he said.

"Yes, it was important that Elizabeth recover in Italy." he said quietly thinking about a couple of broken promises.

"Fine, but can't we take a train?" he said.

"A boat would be faster." replied Jason then said "I think that I saw a McDonalds up the street."

Cam and Jake cheered one of their favorite words while Jason got on the phone. Johnny soon had lunch for all of them, weirded out by ordering french fries in French. Checking them into the Campanile, he said quietly, "I don't want us to be recognized."

Once they were in the two connecting room, Johnny set up the small DVD player for the boys and opened up the bag with their toys. "You take the first break. When do you want to be woke up?"

Jason looked at the younger man and then the boys, he had to believe that Zachara was honestly not going to run, he needed sleep having gone several days without any and he knew that things would be difficult when they arrived back at the compound.

"I am not running or stealing the boys." vowed the younger man.

!!*!!

Sonny woke up in a hospital room, planning on making Olivia pay for betraying him that way, but first up was Kate. She had known, yet hadn't bothered to tell him. Seeing Carly sitting there, he swallowed hard and rasped out. "W-ater."

Helping him sit up, she gave him the glass with the straw and said "Thank god, you have no idea what has been going on since you collapsed."

"What- what day is it?" he asked as Leo Julian entered with Monica who glared at the man in the bed.

"Mr. Corinthos, I am glad you regained consciousness." said the doctor before asking Carly to leave the room. When she protested, Monica grabbed her arm and escorted her out.

"We need to talk." she told the blond. "I am taking Edward to Ireland, he can't take much more of losing people he cares about. Rumor or truth, you need to find out what Micheal did or didn't do. Stop relying on Sonny or Jason to fix your messes."

"How dare you?" said a pissed off Carly.

"Carly, your son is a suspect in a murder, his own brother's for god's sake. That he shot a woman is now public knowledge. You created this mess with your lies and pitting one of my son's against the other. Well now, AJ is dead and Jason, Jason can't help you solve this one, can he?" she said with a half grin.

"What is so funny?" she snapped as Jax walked up and said we need to talk.

"Not right now, Sonny just woke up." she retorted.

"Good, because if you ever want to see your daughter again, you need to come home right now. Otherwise I am filing for divorce and using Michael as the reason for you to not get custody. Commissioner Abbott just took him into custody and Diane is refusing to represent him."

"How dare she?" she said aghast at the woman's nerve.

"Do you want to know what Michael is under arrest for?" he bit out.

"I assumed this nonsense about Olivia's son. How dare she keep him away from his father. She is just like that bitch Elizabeth Webber." she snarled only for Jax to shake his head in disgust.

"Carly, your son walked into the No-Name and pulled out a gun and tried to shoot Max Giambetti in front of a room full of witnesses. Then when someone named No-neck Eddie removed the gun from his possession he told the other thugs he was trying to make his so name, so he could run his father's organization. Face facts, your son has no idea of right or wrong. Alexis went to help him for now, but she is refusing to be his attorney long term."

"Well that is Diane's job anyhow." she snapped then saw Monica making a call. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Trying to find an attorney, but that is all I can do for Michael. You acted like the Quartermaines were the worst people in the world to raise a kid, my god Carly, your son just tried to kill a man in a restaurant full of witnesses. Don't you get that this isn't normal eighteen year old behavior, don't you get that he needs to face justice for what he did?"

"Like AJ did for scrambling Jason's brains?" she snarked back.

Monica called in a favor and soon had an attorney on the way to the station. Then she turned and said to Jax. "If you decide to go for custody, make me your second call, I will be glad to testify on how rotten of a parent she is."

!!*!!

Carly and Jax argued and she went to see Jason. "Sam, has he woken up yet?"

Wiping her tears, the con woman said "No."

"I am sure he will soon. I-we need him. All of us." she said on her way to deal with her son.

Sam just sniffed the snot back into her nose, Raynor had called, he didn't need Sam or her information now that Sonny had stupidly killed a cop. She was up a creek without a paddle. She knew that with the surgery that Patrick had performed with Monica's permission, she was going to lose Jason.

She couldn't compete with the ghost that was Elizabeth. Trying to figure out a way to keep him, she was racking her brain for ideas when Kelly Lee entered the room to remind her she had an appointment that day.

"We are supposed to do an ultrasound if you are up to it." she said distantly.

Sam smiled then looked at the man in the bed. With Jake gone, she had the perfect way of keeping Jason. The baby she was carrying was a ticket to getting married. Following Dr. Lee into her office, she hurried up and got into the hospital gown.

"A girl." She was told and then handed a black and white photo. With a large grin, she went back to Jason's room and sat down thinking that life had come full circle. It had taken her first little girl only to give her one with the man she loved. Jason and her would finally have the family of her dreams.

Hearing the sound of someone coughing, she hit the call button and when Epiphany entered she said "Jason, is waking up."

When the doctors had all left, Sam sat down and quietly told him about their little girl. When the machines went insane, she took that as a sign he had heard and was happy about the information.

!!*!!

Robin and Patrick were discussing what she thought was going on with Jason(?) "Are you sure that he was mistaken?" she asked.

"According to him, he was. He had somehow accessed old files." replied the brain surgeon. "So who was the man you thought was Jason anyhow?"

"That is the strange thing, a dead man. He was a guard who disappeared a few years before I came back. Johnny O'Brien. But you said you saw the true x-rays." she said shrugging.

"I still think we were on to something." replied Patrick. "Could you ask Sonny maybe?"

Robin stared at her husband and said "Just how was that to go. Sonny I know that the police are looking into an undercover cops death, one who is rumored to be your son, but I was hoping you could tell me something, Is Johnny O'Brien alive or did you have him killed?"

Elizabeth was sound asleep when Tom went in to check on her. As it was a deep natural sleep, he hoped that she had faced her first big hurdle. Hearing footsteps, he saw AJ holding his head. "Headache?"

"Yes. Plus another nightmare where the word liberty and freedom were repeated constantly." he said exhausted. "Has he called yet?"

"A ferry from Nice in two days." he replied before going to get AJ some thing stronger than aspirin. "Here."

"Thanks, I hope that Mac Scorpio is having better luck with the clues than we did." he said. "I only wish I knew why it was so important and why his is the only name I recall hearing besides those to damn words." with that the blond went back to bed.

Mac woke up early the next morning and checked his voice mail. Audrey Hardy had called letting him know that Monica had taken Edward to where Lila had been raised. Felicia had called to tell him that things had heated up again in Port Charles and Abbott had called giving him details.

Picking up the travel guide, he went down to breakfast and reread the Frommer's guide. Finding the clues, he said "Yes." and after paying went to check out. Purchasing the book, he left the hotel and went to Grand Central Station where he used a locker to check his duffel bag.

Looking at the subway map, he quickly figured out the correct train and was off to get his next clue.

!!*!!

Maxie saw the look on Sam's face and said "Congratulations on having a girl and Jason waking up. Has he said anything yet?"

"No, he has been in and out, but I can tell he is excited." she said then casually brought the conversation around to what she knew about Sonny and Michael.

"All I know is that Spinelli found out they have Dante's cell phone. It was sent to them in a package and that Max and Milo left town quickly."

"Who is running things?" she asked.

"I guess Cody." said Maxie with a shrug. The bald headed jerk had ordered Spinelli to stay out of things and they thought he was going to make a play for power. "Luke Spencer was sentenced this morning. Twenty five years to life. The rest got probation and if they stay clean their records expunged."

Sam didn't care about that. Lucky had been handy to have around when he was chasing Elizabeth or when he was a cop, but now she didn't need him. "I heard rumors that Jax and Carly had a huge fight."

"Yeah, it got ugly. He filed for emergency custody this morning. Of both Jocelyn and Morgan. Your mom represented him."

Groaning, Sam knew that Carly was going to blame her for this one. She was going to have to distance herself if she wanted to keep the blond on her side. "What about Michael?"

"He is on the tape the police have. They were planning on arresting Sonny this morning. Jason' had better get well soon or they are going to be coming for him next." said the blond.

"For what? He was here, I would say being in a coma is a perfect alibi." she said smugly. She only regretted one thing, that she had made the anonymous call to have her contact let Max know about Dante/Dominic way too early. She had intended for them to be long gone. Damn Sonny for jumping the gun.

!!*!!

Jason found that there was no direct route from Nice to the Tuscan countryside. Finding they could take the train, he called Tom who suggested doing so. "It might give me more time to help Elizabeth remember them."

"We will only be a couple of days." he said with a heavy sigh. He wanted to be there for Elizabeth, but at the same time being with the boys was being there for her. "You are right, besides, Cam has thing for trains as well as boats."

Tom gave a tired chuckle then said "I can't wait to meet my nephews."

"They are wonderful." Jason said watching the boys in question searching through the shop that Johnny had taken them into when they woke up. They seemed to be searching for something and when Cam picked up a post card, Jason could see the word Mommy from outside.

With a smile of remembrance, he went inside to help them pick out one just for her.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6 Cracked Mirrors

_**Chapter 6:Cracked Mirrors**_

_When the mirror you look into is cracked, the image you see is what you want._

AJ woke up from his nightmare. He kept hearing the girl's voice saying she knew he would be back in time to rescue her. The problem was he didn't know the where or the who or why she needed rescuing. All he knew was that Elizabeth and Mac Scorpio were involved.

Holding his spinning head, he went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Staring out the window at the water, he wondered when Jason would be arriving. There was a time when the thought of Jason having a family would have driven AJ over the edge.

The last four and a half months listening to his brother helped him understand how he had believed that Carly would be a good parent. That Jason had admitted he was wrong and that he regretted what he had done to Michael and to his brother had helped heal the breach that had been torn asunder almost twenty years ago by a woman's lies.

Hearing noises the older blond turned around to see Elizabeth walking gingerly into the room. Not sure where she was in her memories, he waited to see how she reacted then realized she hadn't seemed to recognize him. "There is coffee on."

With a quick grin she said "Don't touch the stuff. Probably do later on, but this me, nope."

Then she looked at him and said "AJ? Emily's brother?"

"Yes." he said cautiously. "Uh, how are you doing?"

"Better, Things are coming back to me much faster, now. Uncle Tom told he how he sent me to my safe place and that I seemed to have lost all my marbles. I gather there are some memories I am not going to want back." she said. "So, why are you here?" Elizabeth was curious, she barely knew either of Emily's brothers, so spending time alone with one of them was strange.

"Missing memories, though, my were stolen to keep me from rescuing someone. It's strange to know that I promised someone I would come back for them and not have a clue who or why it is so urgent. Listen, could you help me figure out the clues?"

"Me, missing memory girl?" she asked doubtfully. "Besides if you don't have memories, why do you have clues?"

With a soft chuckle as she asked the exact same thing Jason had; only more politely. "I haven't the foggiest, but I found 12 handwritten clues in my pocket. They are written in a woman's script, neatly so I would be able to read them is my guess."

Following them into the parlor silently, Tom watched as AJ handed the hand worn first note to Elizabeth. "This had a huge one on the back of it. Reading it, Elizabeth shrugged then said "That one sounds like the police commissioner in Port Charles, I think I heard someplace that he is from Australia. As for the second part, I have no idea on the waitress at Kelly's who is now a nurse."

Tom entered and said "We think that you might be the answer to that clue. Remember I told you I had no idea of you ever wanting to be an artist, well you are a nurse."

"No way!" she said aghast. "I wouldn't be able to handle it, the sight of someone hurt turns my stomach, why on earth would I consider that for a career choice? Was I that desperate to earn gran's love that I would chose a profession I loath."

"Well here is the second clue." said AJ trying to change the subject only for Elizabeth to turn white and say "Well, I now have another memory to add to my growing collection. Emily and I went to Boston one weekend, we measured ourselves against one smoot. I have no idea who the candy stripper is, but she is there laughing when we told her about lying on the bridge to compare ourselves." she said with a shrug then said "I would love to help you, AJ, but right now, I need to deal with something."

Watching as she left, her hands shaking as she carried her glass of water, Tom followed. Once in her room, they soon found themselves dealing with the next group of memories. Lucky's death, her friendship with Jason and his leaving. Followed by Lucky's return. "Oh, god, we stole the body of a cop. What were we thinking?"

As Tom took her through the memories, Elizabeth admitted her feelings of loss as a friend, then her guilt at feeling like she was finally standing on her own and then at realizing she had mourned Lucky for all the wrong reasons back then.

"The Candle, it was mine. I blamed myself and then when I fell in love with Jason..." Tom tried to get her to go on, but she said in a soft voice "I'm tired, I need to sleep, but Uncle Tom, you were right, looking back, without the guilt. I … I was afraid that if I showed people the real me, no one would love me. Then when Lucky returned, I became stepford Elizabeth. I think I stayed that way for a very long time."

Kissing her forehead, Tom said. "There is always time to change, to stand up for yourself."

With a smile as she slid into the comfort of the blankets, she said "I know, Uncle Tom, since you haven't moved me out of this room, why do I think there are worse things coming up?"

!!*!!

Cam had a great time on the train, between the people who kept talking about how cute Jake and he was to being allowed to sleep on a bunk bed while the train was moving, nothing was slowing him down. Jason picked up Jake who has fallen asleep next to him and laid him down on the bed, pulling up the protective railing before moving back to the seat.

As the brown haired boy watched the scenery outside the window, Jason quietly explained to Johnny what he had been up to since leaving Port Charles. "I have list of people, I want you to give me your opinion on each. Don't hold back, lives may depend on my hearing things I might not like."

Nodding, he waited until Cam joined his brother in the 'land of nod' before answering to the first name. "Fair, a little naive and he has no idea of the crap his daughter is in to."

"Okay, what about his daughter?" asked Jason.

"Maxie is a screwed up piece of work. I don't understand that Spinelli relationship, I still don't know what happened with the almost wedding."

"Almost what?" Jason asked in shock.

When Johnny explained, Jason shook his head in disgust then said "The tie, a pink tie? You think someone might have had the sense to have me checked out at GH."

"I think she is a little too close to Sam McCall. Talk about a bad influence, a friendship based on both of them hating the same woman? Why?" That was something Johnny just couldn't figure out.

"Because they have pathetic lives and both are in need of mental health help." said Jason. "Okay, what about Robin?"

"Who?" he asked then thought about it. "The doctor with HIV. She is okay, but when I last saw her she was friendly with Sam, I just don't understand why. As a mother seems to me she would have a problem being friends with a woman who hurt a friend of her's kids."

With a frustrated sigh, Jason said "We kept it quiet, she might not know. What about her husband?"

"Drake? He seemed to be the only person in the room when they said Elizabeth was gone who seemed sad. The rest were all too busy vilifying her for telling Sam's sisters she slept with both their fathers and I do have to ask did she really do Ric Lansing with his daughter in the next room while her mother was suffering from cancer?" Johnny had never had a high opinion of Sam McCall, but even he hadnt expected that one.

"Yes, and what do you mean Elizabeth told them? That doe... Tom said the PTSD was manifesting itself in anger the last few days before she came here." with a soft chuckle then feeling bad for the younger girls, he said "What was being said?"

"Oh the usual, how she shouldn't have done that, how she was wrong, that sort of thing. The weird part is not a single person said ANYTHING to Sam about what she did becoming public. It was like the expected that behavior from her."

"Plus, Carly couldn't say a thing, after all she ruined her mother's marriage by doing the exact same thing." he said then asked about Lucky Spencer.

"Puppy boy, what a loser. He is all about himself and how everything should revolve around him. I don't understand why … he let the lie stand to control Elizabeth, didn't he?" asked a disgusted Johnny. "The mess with Nik, for two brother's, one is clueless the other is all about himself and his pain. I don't get why?"

"I gather you knew about Nik and... Elizabeth." said Jason as it hurt. He tried to let it go, after all she believed he was sleeping with the woman who had hurt their children. He had been responsible for pushing her away instead of realizing he was doing what his so-called friends wanted. He only hoped Elizabeth would be able to get over it herself, he knew it was hard for her to sometimes forgive her own mistakes.

"Only the last day in town. I felt sorry for her, I mean she had no one. Spencer and his brother were both manipulating her for some reason or another. Sam, Maxie and your buddy Spinelli were gleeful about you supposedly being back with her. The fact you were sleeping with her was public without being public if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I do." said Jason growling as he plotted more pain for the man who he had let into his life. It was now on a list of his biggest regrets. If Spinelli had ever just fulfilled his promise to Epiphany Johnson they would have known about Jerry and his part in the fake pharmaceuticals. Instead his breaking that vow, had led to Ian being allowed to roam, Claudia making a stupid deal in anger and even worse Michael getting shot.

He was well aware that his nephew was now beyond saving. The boy he had raised like a son the first year of his life had chosen to take after his adopted father. Now all he could hope was that this brush with the real world might wake him up. "One more group, Carly."

Johnny hoped he meant what he said about wanting the truth. "A manipulative bitch who thinks she owns Sonny and you. She is only willing to associate with women she can dominate, denigrates anyone who is strong enough to stand up to her. Carly creates little plans to ruin people, especially anyone who knows the truth about her. No offense, but your best friend is a rabid dog who needs a rabies shot."

Jason had asked for the truth, and Johnny's opinion equaled AJ's and many others. For a long time, Jason believed that if people got to know the real Carly they would see a different side, but he now got that he wasn't the one seeing the truth about his ex-friend. He was the one who had been blind.

"Sonny?" he asked thinking he already knew that answer but was shocked at what he had to say.

"Cunning bastard who had the good sense to take you in when he met you. Without you, he would have lost this business many times over. He likes to present one face to the world, to women, but deep down, Morgan, he is a man with a dark side. If it comes to it, he would sacrifice anyone to save himself. His family, his friends, and even his partners. I think he told my father about Jake, Anthony already knew, but Sonny passed that on since you were opposing him in regards to the Russians."

Sitting back quietly, Jason thought about it then said "I thought it was Sam, or maybe even from Elizabeth and I meeting that allowed them to find out."

"No, Elizabeth and you, they did find out, but Jake, no. Sam more than likely was willing to give them up, but she was suddenly playing like she was one of the good guys, I just don't know why. I overheard something between Maxie and her a few months ago. She was saying how she blamed Elizabeth for her life ending up the way it did. That she was going to take everything back. You, Jake and then help Lucky destroy her."

"Jake isn't hers, and I knew Elizabeth long before Sam, if I hadn't thought my life was too much for her, I would have been with Elizabeth all along." he admitted. "I never wanted the filth of it to touch her."

With a sad chuckle, Johnny said "I know the feeling. There was someone, a long time ago. I felt the same way. It's funny, I was barely out of my teens. I don't even know where she is now. In the end, I had to cut what few ties we had to protect her."

"I tried, repeatedly, but I never could. I needed seeing her, knowing she was safe and alive like I needed to breath." Jason's mind seemed to replay every single smile had had ever gotten from Elizabeth.

"I was always glad things never went that far." said a sad Johnny as he thought of his friend. When Morgan had burnt down his father's house, the last connection to her had burnt up in the fire.

"I was a fool. I can still remember the day I made the decision. We had spent the evening talking about trying, going for it. Then I was dealing with business that night. It was dirty enough but then I was protecting Sonny's sister who was stripping." With a harsh laugh he said "See I saw her as another victim of our life, not knowing she had placed herself there for a reason. I went home that night and Elizabeth had left me a sandwich and a note. I knew then that I didn't want her to become like Courtney. That she was too good for that type of life."

Hearing Jason's bitter chuckle, he looked at the man who said "Courtney was who she was long before she came to town. My partner opened my eyes on that one. It's sad, but I was trying to save both Elizabeth and her, instead I destroyed Elizabeth, sending her into Lansing's web. My brother and I had nothing left and the woman I was trying to save … well,... she... she was worse than her brother."

Feeling a heavy burned lift, Jason stood and said "I will be right back. Do you want anything?"

Shaking his head no, Johnny went back to his melancholy thoughts while Jason went to the front of the train. Sitting down in a vacant chair, he rubbed the scar from his first stay at Elizabeth's studio. Every time he had pushed Elizabeth away for her own good, her life had gone to hell.

Why had it taken all this time to figure that one out? Thinking back on conversations in his past, he knew that most of this had been equally their fault, but at the same time he knew that his friends had made the mess worse.

!!*!!

Mac entered the library and went to ask about applying for a card. Taking the appropriate paperwork back up, he was a bit surprised when they said "Sir, the book you requested is waiting for you in the reading room."

When he picked up the book, he wasn't amused when he read the title. Sitting down with the book on Coffee, he was turning each page gently when he found the note. It had been written on tracing paper. Following the directions he walked to the lost and found and said "My name is Mac Scorpio, I left a letter here the other day."

The security guard had him show some ID, then went to retrieve the package. Taking it out into the cool sunshine, Mac leaned up against one of the Lions and opened it. The picture made him sigh as he wondered who was getting the frequent traveler miles he seemed to be earning.

Four hours later, he was catching a quick train to the City of Brotherly love. As he ran his fingers over the words in the note, he tried to figure out why they were so familiar when the phone rang.

"Abbott, what is it?"

"Corinthos was released we have no proof to hold him for the actual murder. Ten million in bail, his mother paid it. As for his old man, he was arraigned on federal charges including the murder. We transferred his protesting rear to the medical wing. Can you give me some background on his relationship with Alexis Davis besides her being the mother of his daughter?"

Filling Abbott in, Mac then asked why he was interested?

"Diane Miller refused to represent the kid, citing her past relationship with the wanted fugitive Max Giambetti. Corinthos called her traitor, saying Max killed his son. It's nuts, we have him on the cell phone ordering these men to kill Dante Falconari, yet he keeps protesting he is innocent. We now know that it was the younger Giambetti brother who sent us the phone after his brother's almost death."

"I figure it was something like that." said Mac dryly, he had also suspected a few others. "What are the rest of the fed's charges?"

"They have the Zachara books, we are looking for this Johnny to verify some of this, but he isn't implicated anyplace. Whereas Corinthos and Ric Lansing are. Lansing did a runner as well. Don't supposed you have any idea where to check for him, the LAPD is rather eager to find him."

"Try Martha's Vineyard, his family has a place there and he is arrogant enough to believe it was a safe place. WAIT! What do you know that you're not telling me?"

"A young girl, Kristina Corinthos showed up at GH, attacked Sam McCall, accused her of setting her father up. She was with Lansing who was pretty cozy with Raynor while he was in town. The FBI have an unnamed co-conspirator who is walking away from the charges and we know it's not Morgan."

Don't be so sure on that thought Mac with a slight smile. "McCall, are you sure?"

"No, but it fits. Either way, I am going to be bringing her in for an interview. Also Morgan is waking up but has major memory gaps from what my contact at the hospital told me."

"Where is Michael Corinthos? And who is his tail?"

"Harper. And he is staying at the hotel with his mother. Jasper Jacks kicked Carly out of the house and has received custody of Morgan and their daughter until things are resolved."

"Don't count Carly Jacks out, she is a Spencer and they truly think that the world owes them something. She will beg, borrow, steal and use anyone to get what she wants."

"I have a man at GH, she has been hovering around Morgan's room. There was a confrontation with McCall when Morgan first woke up, then another after Corinthos kid visited." Abbott didn't get the blond's obsession but he was grateful for it, it had given him more ammunition than he would have had otherwise.

!!*!!

'Jason' woke up in the hospital bed, trying to place his screwed up memories in prospective. He was hoping that this Sam McCall was pulling a con, since she wasn't pregnant with his kid. Otherwise it would more than likely grow up an orphan because his boss was going to kill him. Hearing voices arguing in the hallway, he shuddered when Carly Corinthos forced her way in.

Looking at the woman who had made his life and those he cared about hell for years, he signaled he wanted water and watched as she ignored it and just started in on the problems of her life. He just listened and shook his head no when he heard about Michael, Sonny killing his own biological son that didn't shock him, nor that Michael had been taken to the scene.

Sonny had been grooming that kid for years, even while pretending not to be. When the doctor finally entered stopping Carly's whining, 'Jason' hinted for water. Drake helped him sit up and drink some just as the door opened and Sam walked in with the computer geek.

With a grimace that was hidden by the face bandage, he asked "How long was I out?"

Hearing the answer, he asked "Elizabeth?"

"That ungrateful bitch is dead." said Sam shocking even Carly. She couldn't stand Elizabeth either, but they had always had the sense to be careful to hide from Jason how much she had loathed the woman.

"Don't talk about her that way." he said coughing between words. "Where are the boys?"

"Gone." Sam said bluntly. "But don't worry, Jake really wasn't yours. Ask Spinelli he found the proof on the computer. The tests were switched."

Bull crap, thought the man in the bed. "Everyone but Spinelli out, NOW!"

Ignoring the protests of the women, Patrick Drake escorted them out the door and turned to Spinelli and said "Ten minutes, for each of you. Got it?"

When Carly protested that her need was more important Sam looked at her and sneer, "No it isn't. This baby, our child is more important you had better get used to some changes. Jason is no longer going to be allowed to chase after you and your pathetic offspring."

"Allowed? Who do you think you are?" she said with a snort. "If Elizabeth Webber didn't stand a chance of separating Jason and me, you don't either. Now back off or I help Jason get permanent custody of the kid."

"Oh, please. I don't scare easy. You can't do anything. Jason loves me, after all he took me back even after what happened with Jake, and he thought he was his son at the time. You, you are not a threat any longer." said Sam turning her back on Carly and never seeing Michael glaring at her from the shadows. His mother said Uncle Jason was his best hope of getting out from under these charges since that bastard Giambetti had made a power grab.

In the room, Jason pushed away the geeks hands as he tried to help him sit up. "Leave it. Now want to tell me why you fixed the records and try the truth."

"Stone Cold, they were fixed by someone other than me. I just found the truth while..." he found himself gasping for breath as Jason pulled down on his computer bag choking him. "Wait.. I just was doing you a favor. You never wanted Jake and I just fixed it."

"Where the fuck are my sons your troglodyte little bastard and what happened to Elizabeth. She wasn't hurt that badly. How could she be dead?"

Struggling free, Spinelli looked into his eyes and saw the color had a green tint to them and wondered what was wrong with his master. "NOW! Tell me NOW!"

"Uh, I don't know. All I know is that their true father Luc..." he couldn't talk as once again he found himself pulled close by the handle of his bag. "Okay, I am sorry. I mean you didn't care then suddenly you do, how am I supposed to know."

"ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION!!!!" he roared.

"They are missing. The unfortunate Maternal Ones grandmother misplaced them. Then she left town to bury the man stealer..."

"Stop that..." gasped Spinelli only for 'Jason' to toss him across the room.

"Find Cody, I want him here now. You stay the hell away from me, and you fix those f-ing records you hear me. Then get your crap out of my penthouse and don't so much as even talk to me again, do you under stand me or do I need to write it in crayon? Take that whore with you."

"Whore?" asked Spinelli confused.

"Actually both whores, the one you are pathetically dreaming about a white picket fence and babies with and the whore who endangered Elizabeth and those boys." Johnny was angry and no longer cared about protecting his bosses secret, god, if Elizabeth really was dead....

"What about your much anticipated happy event with the true owner of your heart? How can you toss away your hard won happiness in memory of a woman who was sleeping with her fiancee's brother." Spinelli was certain he only had to reason with his master, soon he would return to his senses and recall all that had happened.

"Well I screwed a woman who slept with her mother's husband and his brother. Shouldn't be that hard to forgive Elizabeth for a mistake I caused in my failed attempt at protecting her from my miserable life filled with piteous companions like you and the rest of the exploiters in my life."

He counted to two after the trembling stuttering geek fled with tears in his eyes before Sam and Carly entered. Turning to the blond he said "Carly out, I will be with you in a minute. Take the time to make a list of all the anserine ways you have screwed up your life and when you come back in we will go through them, for now get the hell out."

Carly walked down the hall to where Michael was waiting and missed seeing another of the women on her hit list slipping to outside the door to listen in.

'Jason' thought it felt good to finally tell that blond harpy what to do then turned to the woman standing there with a smile on her face and when he tuned he in realized she was telling him all about her baby and how they were going to be great parents.

"Stop talking and listen." he snapped. Alexis eyebrow's furrowed, that voice, it sounded strange to her. Wondering if there had been throat damage, she got quite an earful as "Jason' continued to talk. "Now, stop the lies, that unfortunate progeny that you say your are having isn't mine."

"Of course it is, Jason. I know that we weren't planning for a child but this is a blessing, he can replace the mistake that Elizabeth lied saying was yours." she said then felt her hand being squeezed. "Ow, Jason I know you are excited but that hurts my hand."

"Listen up, Sammy. Elizabeth didn't lie your fan boy Spinelli faked the test results. I just had a discussion with him about lying and I know he didn't like the penalty. I kicked his rear out of the penthouse. As for Jake, he was never a mistake. The only mistake is that Cameron doesn't share the same parentage. He should have never have been Zanders."

"You kicked Spinelli out, great we can make that into the baby's room." she squeed in excitement only for 'Jason' to roll his eyes.

"Sam you are not listening to me. Do you really think that I would even dip my wick into your well used spot with there being any chance of you getting pregnant. Now don't bother with the old the condom broke, it won't fly." he said coldly.

With tears she said "I won't. I made sure I would get pregnant. I can't believe you are treating me like this. You swore you forgave me for what happened with Jake. That my rescuing him made up for watching him get kidnapped and the incident in the park." Sam was sure that Jason would come around, he was just stunned by his good fortune right now.

Alexis counted to ten, she finally got why Elizabeth had been so angry the day she had died. What the hell was Sam thinking? That was just it, all she had been thinking was of hurting Elizabeth, yet it was Jason who had harmed her. But what came next was what caught her attention and sent a chill down her spine.

"I didn't, and I can honestly say no parent ever would. You were a way to scratch and itch created by my injury and a way to find out the truth." then with a cold grin he added "Before Mexico, I had a vasectomy."

Sam stared then desperately said "Then it didn't take, you know you are the only man I love."

Alexis heard the bitter chuckle and leaned back starting to put the pieces together. Then when the man in the bed said "You don't love me, otherwise you would have wanted for me to be happy with my family, with Elizabeth and the boys."

"She stole my life!!" she shrieked.

"No, see Elizabeth was the first woman to live in that penthouse, the only one worthy of living in either of the penthouses. You, you were mistake, one I tried to warn Sonny about, then later on..." shutting up, 'Jason' mentally swore at himself for what he had been about to reveal.

"Later on?" she asked moving in closer.

"Later on, you were convenient, no more Jake's to pick women up, I had one right there. Oh, I am not saying you didn't try, but in the end it has always been about Elizabeth."

Looking up at the woman, 'Jason' said "You tried your best, it didn't work. Go find the real father of your kid and leave me the hell alone. Don't come back here you aren't welcome. I will be making sure that the doctors know that."

"So, so what you are saying..." she asked sobbing. "What you are saying is that you just used me, that you never loved me."

"No. And these last few months, I knew that something was up. I know about Jerry Jacks, and I know that you made some sort of deal. I just don't give a crap any longer. Just know one thing, if you have anything to do with Elizabeth's missing sons, I will bring you to the edge of death and then bring you back. Then repeat it all over again until you tell me the truth." he said then saw Sam getting ready to slap him.

He was surprised when Alexis rushed into the room and stopped her. "I think you have done enough damage. Go to your place. I will stop over after I finish talking to Jason." she said never taking her eyes off the man in the bed.

With a flip of her hair, Sam walked out and told Carly that Jason had told her to keep the blond out of the room. When she went to get inside, Carly found the door locked and started banging on it until security asked her to leave.

Meanwhile in the room, Alexis moved in closer to the man in the bed and sat down on it's edge. Looking into his eyes, she leaned in and shocked the hell out of him by kissing his lips.

Tensing up, he couldn't help wondering what the heck was going on until she leaned in closer and said "Hello, Johnny. That is you, isn't it. You are going to need another surgery to change your eye color, the green is showing through slightly."

Shocked he stared as she said "Now for the really big questions. Where is Jason Morgan? Is he alive? And what about Elizabeth Webber? Did she fake her death again?"

TBC


	7. Chapter 7 Chess Pieces

_**Chapter 7:Chess Pieces**_

_**I feel as if I were a piece in a game of chest**_

_Meanwhile in the room, Alexis moved in closer to the man in the bed and sat down on it's edge. Looking into his eyes, she leaned in and shocked the hell out of him by kissing his lips._

Tensing up, he couldn't help wondering what the heck was going on until she leaned in closer and said "Hello, Johnny. That is you, isn't it. You are going to need another surgery to change your eye color, the green is showing through slightly."

Shocked he stared as she said "Now for the really big questions. Where is Jason Morgan? Is he alive? And what about Elizabeth Webber? Did she fake her death again?"

Johnny's eyes were in shock as the attorney stepped back. "How?"

"I never was attracted to Morgan, you on the other hand... anyhow, some thing in me knew." she said embarrassed but knowing she needed to tell him the truth so he would do the same. "So, how about answering my questions?"

"I would if I could. All I can say is that my memories are still a bit scrambled. I meet Jason in Mexico with our partner but that is the last thing I recall as Johnny O'Brien. I was sent here to protect Elizabeth and her sons while Jason worked something out but when I woke up down there, I was shot and lying in a bed with a dark haired woman telling me about a trip to Hawaii. I think at some point and for who knows why I started to believe I was Jason. Until the day Elizabeth walked into the coffee warehouse... when she was yelling at me, the memories came back." he said sick with worry.

"What do you mean protect Elizabeth and the boys, who from?" she asked hoping the answer wasn't her daughter but he quickly confirmed it was.

"All I can say is your daughter is on the list. When I woke up as Jason, I believed we were still dating, I had no memory of being told to be careful with her. I had my own residual memories buried deep. I more knew than felt things for those I cared about. I think my old crush on Elizabeth combined with what I knew about her situation with Jason... I screwed up and Elizabeth paid with her life for my mistake. I only hope that those boys are with Jason. Otherwise..."

"Why the plastic surgery?"

"Alexis Davis, former DA needs me to explain that one?" he asked doubtfully, not wanting to admit Jason needed the perfect alibi for what he had to do.

Her face flushing, she said "Fine, but what do you want to do with the harpy outside, from what I remember you didn't like her very much."

"Talk about an understatement." he said with a cold chuckle. "I need some help, if you don't mind. After I get rid of the beast, can you come back later and fill me in. I need to know what is going on and I don't have the luxury of time to get my memories back."

Unlocking the door, just as security was getting ready to escort the blond away, she said "I need to talk to Diane Miller, you should let Ms. Jacks in now."

Reluctantly, the guard did so, Carly started running her mouth and Johnny couldn't help wondering how he had managed to put up with her this long. Then with a hidden grin, he couldn't help thinking of her reaction to finding out she had made him the godfather of her daughter. "ENOUGH, CARLY!"

"HOW dare you let Sam keep me away." she fumed.

He knew the woman was good for something, he said "Well, you are in here now. What do you need Carly, I am a little busy."

AS she explained about Michael, then about Sonny and finally about Jax, he blew his top. "CARLY! Stop talking and let me tell you what to do."

She shut up, her eyes blinking at the tone. "Okay." she said cautiously.

"First, you don't love Jax, divorce him. If you did love him he wouldn't come behind Sonny and me. Frankly, he deserves better than you. Maybe you should call Brenda, tell her he is free." When her mouth opened in shock, he hid his soft chuckle then decided to force some truth out in the open. "Well, maybe that is going too far, but be honest with yourself if not me. Do you love Jax or the idea of Jax?"

Hoping he was going where she thought he was, she said what about Sonny.

"There is nothing I can do for him, I wish I could help him.." off a cliff he thought to himself. "What does Diane say?"

"That money leech is refusing to help him because of Michael." she said venomously. "Sonny is going to prison, you know he won't survive there. Then there is Olivia my so called friend, she is suing Sonny's estate because her son was stupid enough to not know he was taking on his own father. That is all her fault, if it wasn't for her, Dominic would still be alive."

"Carly, it is time for you to cut Sonny loose, you should have done so years ago." he said.

Carly felt her heart start to zing, maybe he was telling her that he was the only man who would stand by her. "What about my kids, Jax stole them."

"First, I understand you are living at the hotel, why don't you move into the penthouse, Spinelli is moving out even as we speak. You and Michael should stay there for now." he said thinking that would solve two problems with one decision. Sam wouldn't try to stay and he knew the geek had the place wired for sound, let him get an earful of Carly.

Carly said softly "Just like it should have been all along. Our own little family." she said.

"Not just yet, I can't move in with you, not if you want custody of Morgan and your little girl." he said leading her down the garden path.

Thinking he had a plan and vowing to do whatever he said, she asked "What about Sam and your baby?"

"I had a vasectomy before Mexico." Seeing her face fall, he kept the snort of disgust to himself then he saw the moment that she realized what that meant.

"I WILL DEAL WITH SAM McCall." she said and Johnny wished he was well enough to enjoy the show that was about to come. Setting it up so it was Sam vs Carly was inspiring, hopefully by the end neither one would be standing.

!!*!!

Alexis took the time to count to ten before knocking on Jason's penthouse door. When Sam let her in, she said "I thought I told you I would meet you at your place."

"This is my place, at least it will be when Jason realizes he needs me." she said sitting back down and picking up her box of Chinese food. "Why did you interfere between Jason and I?"

"Because you were out of control, I didn't want you to do something you would regret. Now, I am going to give you a..." hearing footsteps, she saw Spinelli coming down the stairs with Maxie. "I thought Jason told you to move out?"

"What?" asked Maxie in surprise.

"That is why I am here." she said then handed Spinelli a few pieces of paperwork. "He had me draw this up. It is an eviction notice. You have forty-eight hours to vacate the penthouse and turn all keys over to Diane Miller."

"Jason, would never do that to my Spinelli." said Maxie. Taking the paperwork, she read it and said "Why do you have this if Diane drew it up?"

Hearing the sound of a commotion at the door, Spinelli opened it to see Carly ordering someone in with her luggage. Looking around the blond's eyes narrowed on Sam who was sitting on the sofa calmly eating. "Okay, boys. Time to clear the trash out. There is a pink bedroom upstairs, I want everything out of it."

"What do you think you are doing?" shrieked Spinelli, his voice higher even that Maxie's. "Stone Cold..."

"Is the one who invited me to move in. He said he kicked you out."

"He has forty-eight hours before he has to leave." snapped Maxie as she tried to figure out what was going on. Alexis confirmed this and Carly said "Fine, then I will just sleep in Jason's room for now."

"Uh, I don't think so." said Sam standing up. "That is where I sleep."

"Sam, you and your brat with the unknown father need to go home to your own hovel." she sneered. "Jason, told me EVERYTHING. I AM HERE TO STAY, along with Michael."

"That little murderous brat isn't staying in my home." she shouted back at the blond.

"This isn't you home, now I suggest you collect your hooker heels and head home." she said. "Don't bother being a good guest and taking care of your food, I will do that for you. Bye bye Sammy." she said waving goodbye.

Sam looked at her mother who nodded that Carly was right. "Just you wait and see, I will be back here soon enough. If that whiny little tramp Elizabeth couldn't keep me out, you don't stand a chance."

"Oh, please, I was with Jason before either of you came along and in the end, me and my son are right back where we belong." she said smugly. Alexis had figured it out, Johnny was going to have the two women fighting this out while he just stood back and waited for them to destroy one another.

!!*!!

Elizabeth awoke from her nightmare and went to speak to her Uncle Tom. "How are you getting any sleep if you are constantly here for me?"

"I sleep when you sleep." was all he said. "How are you?"

"Truth be told, seeing my life through different eyes. I let everyone walk all over me, still trying to buy love with obedience. Ric Lansing, sleeping with Zander to keep him away, marrying him again. Why the heck didn't someone stop me?"

"I haven't the answer to that one. Are you up to talking to mother again?"

"Not yet." she said standing and walking to the window. "I remember why I became a nurse. Turns out I am good at it."

"You are. How are you doing about being a mother?" he asked moving to stand next to her.

"It's strange. I mean I know that this was some time in the past, how old is my son now?" she asked looking at him.

"We are going to let you figure that out. You are doing well, Elizabeth. You seem a bit uneasy though."

"Last thing I remember is AJ kidnapping Michael and I can't help wondering where my son is and why AJ is here." she said.

"AJ, I don't know much about. The man who brought me here to help you wanted me to work with him on his missing memories. I can tell you that your son is safe, he is on his way here. I told them to take their time so you could work on unscrambling your thoughts." he said moving close enough to hug her.

"Are there are other bad things ahead?" she asked looking him in the eyes.

"A few, but there are some good things as well. There were a few things going on that you didn't know about but should have. They led to some problems, but I think that in the end, you will finally be free to live your life, to be whomever you want to be. Now how about some breakfast?"

"No thanks, I need to sleep. Why am I so sore, how was I hurt or can't you tell me?" she asked.

"An accident. And we needed to make some people think you were dead. When you are ready, if you choose, I will be right by your side when you head back to face your past." he promised. "Your dad, he is pretty upset about your death, are you up to his learning the truth?"

"No, mainly because my mother will as well." she stated before heading back to sleep.

Tom breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was almost ten o;clock, Morgan and the boys would be arriving soon and if Elizabeth followed her usual pattern she would sleep straight through that. They were still concerned about her reaction to Jason after she had stabbed him with the plastic knife in the arm that first day.

!!*!!

Mac took the call and asked Monica if she was okay.

"Yes, but I need to know what you are pursuing. I am back in the states after taking Edward to England, Tracy slipped away with him."

"I am chasing down a puzzle. What is going on?"

"Where?" she asked only to be told he was in Philly. "Good, wait for me before you do anything. We need to talk, I think I need your help with something."

Laying back down in bed, Mac took out the latest riddle and tried to figure it out. Recalling the help that the travel guide had given him, he went to the Borders store that the concierge told him was on South Broad Street and picked up a travel guide. Just for laughs, he checked the one for Boston and found that the Harvard Bridge and it's measurement of smoots were in it.

Walking back to the Hyatt, Mac was once again trying to figure out Morgan's plan. Calling Felicia back, she had nothing for him but Anna gave him some news. "Jason Morgan was the silent investor when Morgan bikes were resurrected in London. He is the sole owner of the company."

"I don't remember him ever owning a Morgan bike, Harley's yes, but nothing that classic."

"I did some checking, he did have on registered to him in '99. But it was declared junked in 2002."

"I appreciate your help. If you come up with anything else, please let me know." he said before telling her about Sonny, Luke and Michael.

"Is it wrong that I take some pleasure from this. Carly destroyed Robin's relationship with Jason for this kid and he turns out worse than any Quartermaine ever did. I feel bad for the boy, he never stood a chance with her as a mother. Even Michael and Jason's relationship was all about her, never about what was best for that little boy, at least in her mind." said Anna.

!!*!!

Epiphany heard the thud from the hub and then saw the two woman who had been as thick as thieves when they were pairing up to keep Jason away from Elizabeth fighting in the hallway outside 'Jason's' door. When they arrived at the hub, she finished filling out the paperwork she was working on, ignoring the harpies or maybe gorgons were a better description. Ignoring their ahems, she put the medical file away before turned to look at them. "May I help you ladies?"

"Where is Jason?" snarled Carly. "I need to talk to him."

When Sam asked the same question and also refused to take no for an answer, Epiphany said "I repeat, I can't give you that information."

Sam turned and saw Nik down the hall. Grabbing her cousin, she dragged him back to the counter. "I want you to tell me again that I can't have that information."

"Like I told you Miss McCall and Mrs. Jacks, you may not be informed where Jason is." she said slowly and evenly.

"Nik, do something, don't you own this hospital. She is just being spiteful because Jason came back to me and left Elizabeth." she whined.

"Epiphany, it might be better if you just told them where he is." he stated tiredly. He had been having a rough time dealing with his family and he was running into minor business problems that kept cropping up all over the world. If Helena wasn't dead, he would have sworn she was behind them. Instead he kept wondering if he was being paranoid.

"Mr. Cassadine, under the Privacy rules if a patient requests we keep things from the public, we are required to do so. I won't risk my license when Mr. Morgan made it very clear he didn't want them bothering him."

"Nik, do something. She can't get away with talking to you that way." insisted Sam while Carly laughed at the brunette.

Nik looked at Sam and decided he didn't need this hassle. "She didn't talk to me that way, she told you the truth. Now go home, I am sure that when Morgan realizes his heavy load is missing he will contact you and that moron Spinelli."

Carly outright laughed at that one then once Sam left said "Okay, where is Jason?"

"Mrs. Jacks, I don't care if your husband is on the board, you don't get the information either." When the blond threatened to get her fired, Epiphany looked behind her and said "Mr. Jacks your wife just threatened to fire me for not informing her where Mr. Morgan is at. Are you still looking for witnesses to testify as to her obsession with the man?"

"Thank you, Nurse Johnson, but my battle with my wife is at an end." Grabbing Carly's arm, he pulled her off to the small alcove. "You had visitation with Morgan and Jocelyn today. Where were you?"

"I was planning on stopping by later, I was dealing with Sam right now for Jason." she said blithely ignoring the glare from the blond.

"The social worker was there waiting on you. When are you going to take this seriously? Where are you staying?" Jax was pissed that Carly wouldn't take this seriously.

"Jason's of course." she said then glared as Jax walked away and went to see Robin who had requested his presence. "What may I do for you today?"

"I hate to tell you this, but we found something connected to Jerry." she said leading him into Patrick's office. "This is a strand of the virus that Jerry used on Nik Cassadine, this is a different patient."

Showing him the samples, Robin saw him notice that they were similar. "What is the difference and how are you certain that Jerry is involved?"

"Put the tape in." said Patrick. When Robin did, they saw Jason being shot by Jerry and then injected just before the roof caved in. "There is one thing, play the earlier tape."

Robin did just that and they saw Jason being shot four times. "What the heck? That looks like the same place and the same clothes."

"We know and we think the person who sent it to us was your brother. He had to know that we have a copy of the virus to compare it to, so why do it?"

"I have no idea. What does this new one do?"

"Affects brain function. In layman's terms, helps keep you from doing simple things like adding one and one and getting two." explained Robin. "Jax, we think that he was telling us that he did something to Morgan, but why confess. You understand your brother better than anyone, what does he gain from this?"

"I haven't the foggiest. I do have one question,why does this tape look edited." he asked.

"We noticed that as well. The first one had Sam showing up all freshly showered with one outfit, yet she left to do a search in different clothes and looking a bit bedraggled. I have been to that part of Mexico, there aren't a lot of easily accessed showers down there."

!!*!!

Jason was holding the boys hands when they entered the Villa an hour later. "Is she?"

"She is asleep, I was thinking it might be best to let the boys see she is fine, then after they are in bed, we talk again. If her pattern holds she should be waking up right after that." said Tom before greeting his great nephews.

They were shy at first, but slowly warmed up after seeing their mother was asleep. "Jason, why is Mommy sleeping?"

"Remember I told you she was hurt, she is going to sleep a lot until she gets well again." he told Cameron and Jake. "For now, why don't you kiss her goodnight, then after dinner we can visit her again."

Johnny didn't know the blond in the kitchen but thought he resembled Jason a bit. With the boys there, business nor what was going on was discussed, they talked about the train, Paris and Jason's promise to take them to the city of boats when their mother was up to it. After baths and bedtime stories, they were soon tucked into the rooms AJ had had created for them.

Looking around before turning on the nightlight, Jason went back to the stone walled kitchen and said "They look great. Thank you, AJ."

"Don't thank me, I had fun. Not exactly a career choice I want, but..." he said with a grin that soon faded. "I will leave and take Mr. Zachara to find a room while Tom catches you up on Elizabeth."

Down the hall, AJ said "I thought we needed to have a word. I am sorry for what my son did to your sister, no matter what was going on, Claudia was your sister."

Johnny got it, "Michael? Michael was your son?"

"Was, yes. I lost him due to Carly's obsession with my brother and my screwed up way of fighting things. I have pieces missing as to why, but during the time I have been away... I have come to grips with who Michael has become." he said sadly. "I still love him but think the best way to show that would be to have him face his responsibility for what he has done."

"How did you hook up with Jason?" From what Johnny had heard the two brothers hadn't ever got along.

"Long story. I was wandering around lost when I saw this man and I knew he was my brother. Trouble was, he wasn't." he said with a chuckle.

"This lookalike that Morgan has in Port Charles." said Johnny.

"Yes, he knew me and it turned out he was in contact with my brother. We got together, I needed his help. There is someone out there I have to rescue." he said. "Jason had a plan, he thought that Sam was somehow connected to the mess with Jake's second kidnapping."

"Which we now know was Sonny and my father. Or someone else." he replied.

"Yes, but we were tracking Jerry Jacks when he suddenly up and went to Mexico. When we arrived, I got Jason away from the bottom dweller and he decided to have Johnny take his place."

"Johnny, I thought his name was Brian." only for AJ to say O'Brien.

"Jason still didn't trust Johnny because he had screwed up on a previous assignment, tracking down Diego Alcazar, but I think that what is missing in my mind is connected to him." said AJ. "When Jason was shot after meeting up with Sam, I got him away, told Johnny to take over. We didn't get to give him a full disclosure on the mess, but he was from Port Charles originally so he knew most of the story."

"I got Jason to a hospital and it took a while for him to recover. When he did, he was a man on a mission. After we reached a dead end, we knew we needed help and went to Port Charles. The very same day the warehouse exploded. Did you do that?"

"No, I was in the building planting listening devices. I have no idea about the explosion. Is that how you got Elizabeth out?"

"Yes, Jason carried her out the back door of GH with the help of someone we have on the inside. Then we went to find the boys. You are very lucky to be alive, you do know that, don't you?" he asked glaring at the younger man.

"I do. I thought Elizabeth was dead and I don't have any real explanation, but something told me to get those boys out of there. We went to Italy then to England hoping to cover my rear for the kidnapping."

!!*!!

Jason sat in the corner, then said to Tom, "She remembers the me that seemed to lie and cheat on her, then."

"Yes and no. Jason, she no longer has the need to protect Lucky, she sees things clearly now. You should know that she is furious with herself, she thinks she should have stayed at the penthouse and had it out with you instead of letting you get taken in by the succubus, her words not mine."

Jason winced then said "She is wrong actually. I had spent the night dealing with the mess that was my life, I had decided I wanted better for her, than me."

"You can't help who you love, Jason, It doesn't work like that." he pointed out.

"I know, but you can help whose life you screw up. At the time, I thought I could survive as long as Elizabeth was out there, as long as … well, I know I messed that one up. That was one of many times I looked at her and saw purity and all that is good. Then at myself and knew I had crossed to many lines for me to ever have anyone that good love me."

Tom thought about some of the discussions he had had with AJ, with Liz and with Jason and knew that these two needed to talk, but first he wanted his niece to be mentally healthy enough for this talk. "What did you come up with, for the boys and you while I am helping Elizabeth."

"I am going to show them Tuscany, all the places I wanted to show Elizabeth over the years. In time, if she ever forgive me, I am going show them to her to."

"What about Nik and Lucky? Can you get past what happened there?" asked Tom needing to know how many people's emotions he was going to be dealing with.

"Does it hurt, yes like hell. Can I forgive, there is nothing to forgive, we weren't together because of our foolishness. Elizabeth is my soul, I have spent too long fighting it. I am sure we are going to have to talk things out, that we are going to shout at each other, but in the end,... in the end, there is no one else for me."

"I think that the hardest part for both of you is going to be forgiving yourselves for your own mistakes. You for not letting her in on your plan and Elizabeth for something she had no control over. She was ill, but I doubt she is going to get that deep down."

"I lost my family too many times, never again." he vowed. "Has Epiphany gotten in touch, has Johnny woken up yet?"

"Oh, have I got something for you to watch. Your brother fell out of his chair laughing." said Tom. Then going to get Johnny and AJ he said "Would anyone like some popcorn?"

Then hitting play he went to check on Elizabeth. Seeing she was awake he said "Let's take a quick walk."

Showing her the room with Cam in it, he saw her crying as she saw her son. "He is so big, what if I never get back my memories of him. What if..."

"Remember, we don't deal in what if's. Now are you ready to work on some more memories?"

"I was hoping we could talk about the memories I have already have. I need to deal with what happened to Carly, I get the feeling I don't want to go home feeling sorry for her." she said with her brow furrowed.

As Tom worked with Elizabeth so that she came to understand that Ric Lansing was responsible for what had happened, not her, he gently interjected a discussion about pulling the gun on Jason. When she seemed to be unable to work on that, he backed away, moving on to her miscarriage and Faith Roscoe.

Talking about Zander had Elizabeth revealing how she almost killed the man, how Jason had help cover for her only for Zander to commit suicide by cop. "To this day, I can't help thinking that for Zander, death was a release."

"Sometimes it is. Have you been able to work on your emotions in regards to your parents?"

"Dad, yes. I just don't get Mom. I never will." she said. "All I can do from here on out, is live my own life and let them do the same. Jeff, someday I might be able to talk to him, but Carolyn. I doubt it."

!!*!!

There was a moment of silence after Jason choked when Alexis kissed 'him' but her explanation made him smirk. "So, who is this guy again? Because I don't think he likes the people in your life, Morgan." said Johnny.

"You think?" asked AJ hitting the rewind button to where Spinelli was being choked. "Ah, a thing of beauty. Do you suppose we can get camera's into the penthouse, I really want to see the Sam and Carly battles."

Jason turned to the door where Tom was standing. "I heard what Epiphany had to say, I want to contact my mother."

"I already did. On the surface it's because of Audrey. The problem is she is working with Mac. She was on her way to Philly."

"Wait, Mac is already in Philly?" asked Jason.

"Yes, he is waiting on your mother after she ordered him to." said Tom who saw AJ's glare. "What is it?"

"He had better not take advantage of..." Johnny started laughing at the man.

"You mother is an adult, she has been a widow for how long?" he asked.

"Go to hell, Zachara." snapped AJ. Looking at Jason he said "What?"

"If Monica were to become involved with Mac, I have no problem with it, she has been lonely since Alan died and then when we lost Emily, it has been tough on her." he said. He could still hear her crying when he told her about his sister.

Walking to the door, he asked quietly. "Elizabeth, how is she?"

"Sleeping again, these things tire her out. When she isn't tired, I know she isn't dealing with her honest emotions. It's good that she gets things out." he said then saw Jason walking towards the padded room. When the mobster slipped inside, Tom wanted to protest but he also knew that this would be good for them both.

On his way to bed after a mind numbing discussion with AJ on the clue they couldn't figure out, he stopped to check in on Elizabeth only to find her asleep wrapped up in Jason's arms. He had to smile, it was the first time his niece had truly looked happy as she slept. She might have not known Jason was there, but deep down, she felt safe with him.

!!*!!

Back in Port Charles, Carly was furious when the woman from social services informed her that they worked on the governments' schedule, not the person being interviewed. "You should have been there yesterday. Now if you will excuse me, I have other clients."

"Look, you had better get this straight. I am a busy woman, I don't have the time to deal with some petty lowly paid bureaucrat. If I have to get the Judge to order you to watch me spend time with my own children, you had better be there. Who do you think you are?" she asked only for the woman to say go for it.

Calling Lulu on her way out the door, Carly said "I need you to help me, track down those brothers of yours as well."

Lulu tracked down Ethan then Lucky saying Carly wanted them to visit her at Jason's penthouse. Lucky wasn't to happy to be standing outside the door. When Carly opened it, they walked in and said "What is going on?"

Hearing a key in the door, they soon heard knocking then Carly's phone rang. Finally the sound of the lock being picked. When Sam put her tools away she opened the door with a flourish for Spinelli and Maxie saying I told you so.

"You told them what? That you knew a criminal way to break in, good. Now leave. Spinelli, security has your things downstairs in one of the empty storage rooms, Sam, since you don't live here, I am going to assume you have nothing here."

Sam thought about her visit with Sonny and said "You're correct. We are only here for Spinelli's items. Thank you for being courteous enough to have them packed." Turning she said to Spinelli, "Let's go check out our new digs."

The Spencer's watched as she unlocked the door to the penthouse across the hall as Carly screamed "NO way in HELL are you living in MY old place."

"That isn't your choice. Your ex-husband was quite happy to lend it to us." Sam said with a smile. "Now if you will excuse me, we have movers bringing my stuff in."

"Does Sonny know how you betrayed him to the feds?" snarked Lulu.

"Shut your mouth about things you know nothing about." snapped Maxie. "Ric was lying when he told Kristina that, come on, we all know what a liar that man is."

"That is why he killed himself, right?" asked Lucky. "Or did you make some sort of 'arrangement' with John Zachara?"

Slamming the door, Carly answered her phone when she saw it was Jason. With a smile, she greeted her future only to be told that he was staying at Jake's. "You can always come and visit later after dark."

Lucky gagged then when she hung up asked why they were there? "You need money, I need help. I want to break that little group next door up and we both know that Spinelli is a replacement for Maxie. If she thought she could get back with you, she would in a second."

"I am not a gigolo." he protested hotly then his eyes widened when she offered him a million dollars. "Half up front and half when she breaks that little SOB's heart."

"Lulu, can you be his hand holder, please?" she asked. "I think that he stole from Jason. I went to see Bernie and he said there was no money in any of Jason's accounts. I need to know where his money is. Ethan, you know lots of people down by the docks, and aren't tainted with the ex-cop label,. I want to know who the real father is of Sam's kid. It isn't Jason's. He had a vasectomy a while back."

Nodding, Ethan said "Same deal as Lucky?"

"Yes, with a bonus if you find a way to track her to Jerry Jacks." she said then went to call Michael. Telling him to come home, she stood on the balcony waiting for him to arrive.

"Well?" he asked.

"They were in, Sam won't know what hit her." she said. "I need you to stay out of trouble, do everything that lawyer Monica hired tells you."

"Why hasn't Uncle Jason come to visit us?" he asked.

"He is waiting until he can get here unseen. He probably doesn't want to compromise your case. Remember he has been on trial several times before. Now did you visit your father?"

"No, the police commissioner refused to allow visitation on the grounds that we are c-conspirators." he said walking up the stairs to his room. "That man, Cody Paul, tell Uncle Jason he needs talked to. He refused an order from me today."

Carly only hoped they could hold it together long enough for Jason to rescue them. He was her last hope.

!!*!!

Mac answered the knock and let in Monica who said "I have a suite, let's head there. Then you can tell me what you know about the man lying in a bed claiming to be my son."

"I know less that you do, what I do know is that he has me running around the country tracking clues."  
Mac knew that something was up, just not what it was.

As they went up to the top floor, Monica told him about Edward and Tracy then asked his opinion about Michael when they arrived.

"I don't know, Monica. I think that Carly and Sonny added to being shot has created someone that we are all going to regret knowing."

Taking the clues, Monica read them. "Smoot, Harvard bridge." Seeing him staring she said "Jeff and I considered Boston General, but ultimately decided on Port Charles. We wanted away from the big city after New York. The second one would be the NYCL. The lions, as to the third, it makes no sense."

"Oh, but you aren't used to the clues, I figured that one out and was only waiting on you." he said. "Shall we?"

Monica called and checked on Edward, then they were off. Monica read the note again as they got into the cab. When visiting the first home of our country, remember to honor it's first ambassador to France. A man of many talents, he created a legacy that will live for generations. If you visit the his place of honor you will find a musical instrument that was rumored to drive men mad. Your next clue for liberty can be found attached to it.

"I have no idea what this is." she said "I didn't know that Ben created an musical instruments."

"Thanks to Maxie insisting on watching a movie I do. Some cop went undercover in a beauty pageant. Well, anyhow, Georgie was telling Brooklynn about the origins of her talent. Then she mentioned visiting one on her class trip here in Philly." he said. "I just had to find which museum associated with Ben Franklin."

Jason woke up in the night, he could feel someone touching his face, and kept silent as Elizabeth ran the tip of her finger down his nose and across his lips. "What happened to us, Jason? Why am I so angry with you?"

When she snuggled back down and went to sleep, Jason felt his heart start beating again. Enclosing her into his arms, he whispered I love you as he felt her body fall back into a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8 Prepare to Pay

**__****Chapter 8:Prepare to Pay**

**__****There are two ways of paying, when you get what you need or when you get what you deserve.**

Jason woke up and found himself staring down at Elizabeth. Running his fingertips across her brow and down her cheek, he smiled softly when her lips parted. Lightly brushing his finger against her moist lower lip, he heard a gently ahem.

Finally noticing Tom standing at the foot of the bed, he slipped out from his soft comfortable spot next to the woman he loved. Following the older man out the door, he picked up his boots that he had removed before entering the room the previous evening.

"We need to talk. You can't be doing that. Elizabeth is in a very fragile state right now." warned Tom.

"I know, I didn't intend on staying, I just... I just have spent so much of my time leaving her, I couldn't." he said quietly before sitting down on the bar stool in the kitchen. Taking the offered cup of coffee from AJ, he said "So what now?"

"We have several things to talk about. While you and the boys are out today, I was hoping we could have a conversation." said AJ holding up the video from the night before.

"Fine, we can bring Zachara with us, he makes a pretty good nanny." said Jason seeing the Italian entering while yawning.

"You are just jealous that I relate to them on the same level." said the man as he took the offered cup of coffee gratefully. "Wait, where are we going?"

"I was thinking the ocean. The boys love boats and the ocean." said Jason only for AJ to grimace.

Tom made some breakfast while the three men got the boys going for the day. Once the house was emptied out, he woke up Elizabeth and they had another session. This one seemed to be touching on the beginning of her relationship with Jason. When Tom pressed her why she felt the need to save Lucky, to hurt Jason by asking him to let her loser ex-husband be his child's father, she seemed to get defensive.

Elizabeth stalked out to the patio, then turned to glare at her uncle. "You just don't understand. It wasn't really like that."

"Then tell me what it was like?" he asked knowing what the true problem was but needing her to face it herself.

It took two hours and lots of tears for Elizabeth to admit her fear of Jake being treated like Carolyn had treated her. "Does Jason normally act like your mother?"

It took another half hour for her to get angry which exactly what Tom wanted. He needed to get Jason and Elizabeth to argue, to finally verbally deal with their past. To get out their past hurts, then put them away. When Elizabeth admitted being angry with Jason over putting his relationship with Micheal, with Carly over Jake and how she felt pushed aside, she sat down stunned.

"Oh, my, god. I am acting like Carly." she said only for her uncle to correct her.

"No, you truly had the right to expect the father of your son to put him first. For his fiancee and even as just his girlfriend to put her first over his best friend."

"But I know what Carly means to him." she said. Tom signed, then pointed out she was back to being obedient.

"But..." Elizabeth thought about it then said "Your right. I mean I have faced that I was in the wrong with Lucky. Can he do the same? If we were working towards a future together what kind of future would it be if Carly and Michael came first?"

"Are you ready to deal with telling Lucky that when you go home?" he asked pointedly.

"I think so, I just worry about my habit of falling back into that pathetic sad person I had become." she said before yawning. "I should mention, I dreamed he was here last night."

"Lucky?" Tom asked a bit worried.

"No, Jason. I have such a feeling of dread, like I messed up, yet at the same time I am very very angry with Jason. To the point of loathing him." she admitted quietly.

When Elizabeth was back in her room, Tom sighed then knew he had to talk to Morgan about a face-to-face with Elizabeth, one before she learned the truth about his double in Port Charles. It was going to be important to her recover."

!!*!!

When Mac and Monica arrived at the Franklin Institute he had no idea how to even pronounce the name of the instrument. When the female guide showed it to them, he was disappointed to find no note, and that there was nothing around.

Working their way around the exhibit, Monica was growing frustrated when she saw what they had missed the first time. Walking over to the second display, she found the same guard and asked what had happened to the other instrument.

"We had to remove it for repairs." she said while Mac quickly found the note. On the steps, he ripped open the small paper and groaned. "I am too old for this crap."

"What?" she asked then reading the paper said "Do you have a rental car or should we arrange for one?"

"I can take care of it." he said "You get a map and then figure out what grave we have to find."

Checking out of the hotel, they were grateful that it hadn't been an early winter while they drove to Gettysburg. When they arrived, Monica stopped to pick up a brochure while Mac looked up their only clue.

"So, there was a Doctor Hardy who died at Gettysburg. I wonder if Steven knew?" asked Monica as they located the grave... Both felt the chill of the sacred battlefield seeping into their skin as they counted off rows and columns. "There it is." he said quietly bending down to find the note that was inside a plastic protective cover on the side of the grave.

"Here we go." he said grimly as they quickly returned to the rental car and drove away. Pulling into the nearest coffee shop, they ordered a warm drink and sat down to figure this mess out.

"We know we have to go to Washington, but I have no idea on the clue. I think we need to find a bookstore." he said.

"Mac, what is going on with my son? Why is he sending you to do this. Jason's usual MO is to do everything himself?" she pointed out.

"I have a feeling that whatever is going on, it's bigger than just a search hunt." he said. "Are you sure you are up to doing this?"

"I need to do something. I can't deal with the situation in Port Charles, I am sure you know about Michael." she said her voice breaking. "I can't help thinking how different his life would have been if..."

"Don't think like that, it doesn't do anyone any good." said Mac then explained he felt the same way about Maxie and the way her life was turning out. "Most of this is on Sonny, and of course Carly. I have never thought of that woman as stable."

"But if we hadn't pushed..." she said thinking about the history between her sons and that woman.

"No, Carly was not going to walk away from her meal ticket and her way to keep Jason around. Jason has always seen Carly through her version of things. I don't think that is the case anymore, because if it was, he would be in town saving Michael."

"Where do you think he is?" she asked.

"With Elizabeth's boys. At least I want to hope that is the truth. I have my own suspicions on a couple of things." he said then sighing told her what he knew about Jake's second kidnapping and Lucky and Sam's illegal investigation.

"So what you are saying is that my son ... that is why someone ... did she do it?"

"I don't know but I would dearly love for Sam McCall to face justice without Jason or Alexis backing her up. Alexis might be waking up, she called me asking for permission to access her daughter's criminal file. Something she has never done before."

"If she is behind this, I am going to press the full might of the Quartermaine name to have her sent to prison. We need to reach my son. I need to talk to him." she insisted.

"Then let's get on the road to Washington." he said. "We have a bunker to find."

A couple hundred miles into the drive, Mac swore and said "We are going to the wrong place."

With that, he got off the road heading southeast into Washington and took the road west. "I hope I am right about this."

!!*!!

While Johnny and the boys were splashing around in the water, Jason and AJ followed. "I have to tell you about something I did."

Looking at his brother, Jason said "Why do you look guilty?"

"I uh, used the money from that secret account, to take down Cassadine Enterprises." he admitted with a sideways look while tensing up.

"Why?" Jason asked without taking his eyes off Cam and Jake.

"I never did like that little shit Nikolas Cassadine. He should be finding out over the next couple of days that he is broke. I started with his biggest weakness, the shipping company, it still hasn't recovered from when he was sick, it wasn't that hard to do."

"What does he have left?" asked Jason wondering if Elizabeth would be angry with them for bankrupting her former lover.

"The Island in Port Charles and the entitled estate in Greece. Maybe a few hundred thousand dollars. He is going to have to sell General Hospital to us if he wants to stay solvent."

Jason felt a small bit of pleasure at the man who had taken advantage of Elizabeth's illness and confusion to get what he had wanted for years. Yet at the same time he couldn't help remembering his sister had once loved this man. "I wish you hadn't, but now that it is done... I would love to have GH out of his control if Elizabeth decides we move back."

"You don't think she would go back ..."

Jason shook his head no, then said "He gets that ability to guilt people from Laura, just like Lucky and Lulu. I want him to have no chance to press his case. He isn't going to back down."

"Well now that we have discusses that, what do we do about Michael?" asked AJ.

"I owe you an apology for that." said Jason thinking that if he hadn't been so sure that Sonny would be a great father, but at the same time he couldn't help thinking that part of that was guilt about Lily dying.

"No, you don't. I think we are all responsible for his ending up with Sonny and Carly. But the way he turned out, Jason you are not the one who let him think that killing is fine. That was his parents. That was Carly and Sonny who he saw scheme and cheat and lie to get whatever they want and whoever they want."

"I can't help it, if I had done things differently, who knows. If I had given into Carly, stayed with her..." he said only for his brother to roughly grab his arm and turn his body in the direction of his head.

"So what you are saying is you regret that little boy, you regret falling in love with his mother? Do you really think things would have been so different?"

Jason said "No, but.."

"No f-ing but. You, you are right, you are at fault. Not for Carly. But because maybe just maybe if you had taken your head out of Corinthos' ass, you might have realized what you lost earlier and you and Elizabeth might have been able to save him together. But as long as you acted like Carly could do no wrong... like you owed them something, they owned you. I told you what I learned about Courtney, yet my guess is that you still feel guilty. Why the hell are you letting them have this much control?" he shouted then seeing the fear in the boys eyes walked away.

Jason felt ashamed but knew that AJ was right, but the problem was if his brother was correct, then it meant he had lost years because of his stupidity. It meant that there really was brain damage. Looking at the two boys seeking comfort from Johnny, he felt it eat at him that they didn't feel safe enough to come to him.

With his head down, he sat down on the hard packed sand and felt sorry for himself. "Jason, come play with us!" he heard the hesitant voice say.

Looking up at Cameron and Jake, Jason swallowed the lump in his throat and took the little boys' offered hands. When they were on their way back home, Johnny waited until it was almost nightfall to track Jason down on the patio. "Remember asking about those others in your life, there is one you forgot to ask about."

"Who?" he said still staring at the water in the distance.

"Yourself. You are not a bad guy Jason. But unlike others in our world, you feel guilt at what you do. It's why you let the users in and why you pushed Elizabeth away. Courtney, Sam and Carly were all the same. Whores who allowed you to keep a part of yourself to yourself. Unlike Elizabeth who my guess got in too deep in your heart."

Jason wanted to protest but knew the younger man was right. "What made you so smart when it comes to love."

"Only this. We are in the same boat. Lulu, may not have been like that yet, but she clearly is in training. Olivia was hard, deep down. She had to be. The father of her son loved her cousin, slept with her because she was available and Kate wasn't. I knew that softness and vulnerability were a bad idea. I am broken, I think you feel the same way."

Jason looked over at Johnny with new eyes, "So what do you do now?"

With a bitter chuckle, Johnny said "I stopped all contact with the only person who stood a chance of winning my heart and your burning down Crimson Point took care of the rest. The letters went up in flames. Maybe that is good, I will keep searching for someone who lets me feel half alive, but I know... I know that my one chance of being with someone true and loving is gone."

"Maybe not." said Jason. "I thought that Elizabeth and I were over so many times. I don't know for sure that we will end up with each other at the end of this, I would love for that to happen but I had a plan and something went wrong. She is never going to believe me since I made a similar mistake before."

"Well, why don't you go talk to her?" asked AJ. "She just went into Jake and Cameron's rooms."

"No, Tom asked me to stay away, at least until Elizabeth is up to talking to me." he said with a heavy sigh. "I need to figure out what went wrong. How Johnny ended up doing what he did first. It doesn't matter that it was him sleeping with Sam, she thought it was me."

No one saw the beautiful brunette who had been angrily stalking their way, stop cover her mouth like she was ready to toss her cookies and rush away. Arriving in her bathroom, Elizabeth's stomach revolted as what Jason said swam through her brain.

Sitting with her back to the door, she kept her angry sobs to herself as she pulled her knees in and just let the hot tears fall. What had she done? What had she allowed to happen?

A while later, her butt numb from sitting on the cold tiled floor, she got up and stripped, needing to take a shower. Soaping up, she tried to get her skin clean, but nothing seemed to be working. When the hot water had run out and her skin felt like it was on fire, she wrapped herself up in a towel and ruthlessly brushed the tangles out of her hair.

Johnny went back into the hallway to growl at the others. "Who used up all the hot water?"

"We have a hundred gallon tank, it is pretty much impossible to use that much water." said Jason standing while Tom looked up from the riddle they couldn't figure out.

Walking down the hallway, he knocked on Elizabeth's locked door. Getting no answer, he asked Jason to get them into the room. Picking the lock, Jason stepped back and let the doctor enter first only to hear him swearing.

Rushing into the bathroom, he saw Elizabeth who was lying unconscious with skin that was tomato red. Bending to pick her up, he heard Tom bark for AJ to get the first aid kit then tell Johnny to take the keys and find a pharmacy. "I need burn ointment. Lots of it."

"We need to take her to a hospital." insisted Jason.

"No." snapped Tom. "It's not that bad but she is going to be in pain. What the hell happened here?"

"I don't know." said Jason as he eased down the terry cloth robe while the woman on the bed whimpered in pain. Feeling it to his soul, Jason asked Tom what would help for now.

AJ came in while Tom held the sheet over Elizabeth without it touching her. "Leave that. Look, call the number in my book, tell Steven to get on a plane and get here now."

!!*!!

It was early the next morning when Sam woke up to the sound of loud music. "Spinelli. Spinelli. SPINELLI!!! TURN THAT SHIT DOWN!"

"Goddess, I have nothing on. The horrendous sounds are coming from the interloper staying in Stone Cold's abode."

Sam didn't bother dressing before going to bang on the door. When Carly opened the door, Michael stood behind his mother in case she needed his support. "Turn that shit down."

"I don't think so. In fact I think it needs to go louder." said Carly over the music. Heading over to the stereo, she turned it up as loud as it would go. The walls were thumping and things were shaking on the mantle.

Sam tried to push her way in when she saw Harper getting off the elevator. Turning to Carly she smirked and said "Well, I guess you will be turning it down now."

Detective Harper came over and asked Carly to turn it down at least for a couple of minutes. Starting to refuse she saw the name on the legal writ in the man's hand and told Michael to do as the man requested.

There was blissful silence then Spinelli entered the hallway. "Thank you, protector of the night."

"During daylight hours between eight am and ten pm there is no law that states she has to turn it down. I am here on another matter." he said. Turning to Sam he stated "You need to come down to the station with me. Go get dressed."

"On what grounds?" asked Sam.

Handing her the papers, he said "Suspicion of altering hospital records. Mr. Spinelli, you are required as well."

Still protesting they were joined by Maxie who was very snottily informed by Harper that her daddy was no longer the commissioner and that she could no longer order around cops like they were her personal servants.

Carly got ready to head out for the day, hoping to see Jason at some point. Leaving the stereo on, she escorted Micheal to Sonny's estate and went to deal with her hotel. Arriving she saw Jax talking to a couple of lawyer sorts. When he shook their hands and said "Good luck."

She moved in and said "What was that about?"

Looking her over, he said "The judge wants us in chamber this morning, until then stay away from me."

"But I need to arrange for a visit so that damn social worker can come and watch me with my own kids because of this nonsense you started." she protested. "I was thinking at none, today. I have nothing no on then."

"Morgan will be at school." he said fuming that her children had to be scheduled around Jason Morgan and Michael.

"He can be let out for a couple of hours, It won't hurt anything. We used to do it with Michael all the time." she said only to see Jax turn and wave at someone ignoring her. "Hey, I am talking to you."

"I will see you in court, Carly." with that he joined his new assistant.

Fuming Carly called Jason only to reach voice mail. "Jason, your ex-tramp of a girl friend has moved into Sonny's old place. I need your help in getting her out."

Johnny listened to "Jason's" messages and just gave a low chuckle as he went into the safe house. Locating the hidden cell phone, he charged it up and went through the other items in the box that Jason had told him about. Finding the letter to Elizabeth, he knew it was wrong but sat down and read it.

Swearing softly as the guilt ate at him, Johnny looked at the phone sick at heart. Jason HAD learned from his previous mistakes, but thanks to Jerry Jacks shooting him and his injury, Johnny hadn't managed to remember the box or note.

Thinking about the hurt expressions he had seen on her face over the last several months and what she had been doing, Johnny got how clearly he had screwed things up for the man who had saved his life. Sitting there, his head resting on the sofa back, he knew that Jason was going to kill him and that he deserved it.

The woman Jason loved had died believing that Jason had abandoned her for the woman who had hurt their sons and her. Johnny hadn't been flaunting that he was screwing Sam, but he knew that those around him had had their own agendas. He knew that this time thanks to him there was no fixing things as he drank the last of the beer in the house and fell asleep waiting for the agreed upon call-in time hoping someone would be calling.

!!*!!

Lucky saw Maxie smirking as Spinelli and Sam were allowed to leave the station. Walking over to the blond he asked what was going on. "They thought that Spinelli altered the records that proved the truth. That Elizabeth was a lying about who Jake's father is. Have you had any luck tracking down your son?"

"None, Elizabeth's family cleared her bank account to keep me from finding Jake. They know that there is no way I am going to be separated from him again. Luckily, I have a friend who has been willing to help."

Spinelli said "If you need any help, just let the Jackal know." He knew that Maxie would expect him to offer that, but in truth, he needed to make sure that Jake was never found again. If he returned to Port Charles, his biology would prove that Spinelli had jackaled the tests. He heard a beep and told Sam to stop. "I found Jason."

"Where?" she asked.

"A safe house, he never told me about it. It was apparently kept a secret so my guess is bad things went down there. I tagged Stone Cold's truck." he said with a grin. "Here you go. Now get our friend back, before the ghost of the bad maternal one consumes him."

Glaring at Spinelli for even thinking it was a possibility, it was one thing for her to think that inside her head, for the geek to vocalize it, was traitorous in her mind. Driving out to the house, she slipped out of her clothes and put her coat back on.

Seeing the fireplace lit, and the beer sitting on the table, Sam closed the door loudly only to hear footsteps that sounded too light to be Jason.

"Well, well, well. Too late, Sammy. Jason just left." said Carly as she did up the buttons on her shirt. "You know, he was really starving for it. You really need to learn how to give a good blow job, men enjoy that, so much."

"With your big mouth, I would expect you were an expert at it." she snapped at Carly who just laughed.

"I told you, he would be back in my bed, you, you are just a bad memory." said Carly going to pick up the beer on the table. Draining it, she said "Now if you will excuse me, I have an appointment to get my kids back. Then we will be one happy family."

"Jason, you and your kids by three different daddies. Dream on Carly, you don't stand a chance with Jason. This was no more than a one off. He will forgive me for sleeping with someone else, he always does." she said then followed the blond out.

Ethan listened as the blond and geek talked while walking to the docks. He was getting no place on who the father of Sam's kid was. He had eliminated a few people, but was still no closer than yesterday.

"Ethan!" Hearing his name he turned to Nik getting of the launch from Spoon Island, "Do you know where Lucky is?"

"No, what is going on?" he asked. The usually immaculate prince looked a bit worse for wear with his hair on end and a wild look in his eyes.

"I need to find Lucky." was all he snapped before heading to GH. Entering his office, he called Alexis who said she would be right there. Sighing she closed Sam's file and went to see her nephew.

"What is it?" she asked taking in the files on his desk and his wild expression.

"I have a problem. Someone is making a run on Cassadine Enterprises. I need to arrange a loan on GH. Can you make some arrangements for me." he asked handing her the financials from the hospital.

An hour later, she said "Got one. The interest is even doable, but they want the Island as collateral as well."

"Do it, I need to make payroll for the trading company and when I sell the goods I have in the warehouses, I will be fine after the Christmas season."

Alexis wasn't sure this was a good idea, but went ahead and made the arrangements. Giving him the information, she said "I have court this afternoon, but we need to discuss how this happened?"

"I am just a little tight right now and and one of my competitors saw an opportunity." he said. At the bank, he saw Alexis wasn't thrilled with the contract but signed it against her wishes. Taking the check, he went to his own bank and started authorizing payments to keep from losing everything.

!!*!!

AJ smiled coldly then told the banker in Port Charles "Give him three weeks, then call in the marker."

"What will you do with that Island?" asked their banker as he leaned back in the chair and stared at the phone like he could see him. His client had always been conservative with the funds, only the purchase of a Motorcycle company had been against his advice.

"Nothing, maybe turn it into a weigh station for ships." he said.

Monica saw they were driving into West Virginia and looked down at the paper again. **The federal government set me up in the bowels of a classic retreat of the rich and famous in the event of war, but I was never used and am now a tourist attraction. Be sure to have tea in my world famous cafe and visit the falcons, before finding the clue on the crimson phone.**

"Trust me, I am sure I am right." he said as they pulled onto the long drive way.

!!*!!

Olivia was waiting with Jax when Carly arrived. Moving closer to his soon to be ex-wife, he sniffed and said "You are drunk."

"No I had a beer, that is all." she insisted while glaring at Olivia. "What is SHE doing here?"

"I was testifying in regards to my lawsuit." she said coolly. "Have you heard the news. Sonny is going to jail, he took a deal. Twenty five years to life."

Shrugging Carly said "He did that for Micheal's sake."

When they left the courtroom, Alexis found herself feeling slightly sorry for Carly. She had lost custody of Morgan and Jocelyn and was under orders to apologize to the woman from Social Services. Carly had been shocked when the tape of her call to the woman had been played in court, costing her any chance of her children.

!!*!!

Jason woke up from the chair where he was sitting. Elizabeth was crying out in her sleep, the burns were cooling down, but it was clear that whatever was going on was in her head. Reaching out to grasp her hand, he felt her pull away and heard her begging someone for forgiveness.

"Elizabeth, there is nothing for you to ask forgiveness, for. Please, sweetheart, wake up. Even if you hate me, I can live with that, but please, whatever is hurting you, please let it go. I love you, please, come home to me."

When she seemed to relax, Jason laid down as close as he dared, hoping she would give him a chance.

_Elizabeth was dreaming. Jason couldn't forgive her, her grams blamed her for lying and she was alone. Just like she deserved. She hadn't trusted Jason, instead she had let Lucky back in and had done the unforgivable, she had slept with Nik in an effort to get her heart to move on. Instead she had finally torn the bonds that had been frayed but never broken in the past._

_As the tears slid down her face, she felt someone trying to comfort her, but knew there was no way anyone would ever forgive her for this one. She stood back, telling Jason to take the boys, that she was a terrible parent. Watching as he agreed, she saw Monica and Edward shaking their heads in disgust while Cam and Jake clung to Jason._

_Waking up screaming,_ Elizabeth realized that it was dark and that she hurt all over. Feeling someone trying to reach out to her, she looked into those unforgettable eyes and said repeatedly. "I am so sorry, I am so sorry, I know I screwed up, I know you hate me. I am so sorry."

Jason tried to hug her, but she just kept backing away, until she was against the wall. Hearing her moan at the pain, Jason said "Please, Elizabeth, please sweetheart, let me help you."

TBC


	9. Chapter 9 Coming Together

**A/N: In answer to some of the questions I have been sent, ...Johnny O is going to be playing with both Carly and Sam, mainly because I like the idea of the two of them at each other's throats. Someone asked about AJ, well, I loved Sean Kenan in the role, never did like Billy Warlock, he just never fit to me. In my mind I would love to see Roger Howarth take it over, so that is who I am seeing as AJ. **

_**Chapter 9:Coming Together**_

_Weaving the strands together make for a stronger fabric_

Elizabeth slowly edged closer to the bathroom, then inside. Hearing Jason begging her to talk to him, she said "I need Uncle Tom."

Going to find him, Jason saw the door open just enough for the graying blond to slip through. Moving closer, he listened as the doctor helped her put on some more of the soothing pain medication and talk to her about what she had learned.

Hearing her denigrate herself, Jason just bowed his head. How had things gotten so out of hand? When he felt the door opening, he looked up in Elizabeth's pain filled eyes and said "Please just listen to me, you did nothing wrong."

"I can't deal with this right now, Jason. Just let me get back into bed. Maybe in the morning I will feel more up to this." she said moving across the room just as Epiphany entered. When the large woman had helped Elizabeth get comfortable, Jason moved to the doorway.

"I just want you to know, no matter what... I love you. I always have and always will." he said leaving her to her peace. When Tom exited soon after, he asked "What do I do now?"

"There is only one thing you can do, give her space and be there when she is ready to come to you. It will happen. You missed what she said after you left. She said she loves you too but doesn't deserve your love." With that Tom laid a comforting hand on Jason's shoulder as he passed him on his way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

Tom was soon in the kitchen telling AJ about how Epiphany had been suspended at GH for laying into Lainey when she had found out what the doctor had done in regards to Elizabeth. "I invited her before Elizabeth was burnt."

!!*!!

Sitting against the wall, across from her door, Jason soon fell asleep like that, until Cam and Jake came into the hallway. "You check."

"No." said a giggling Jake. Cam sighed then walked over and poked Jason in the arm, then the chest.

Pretending to still be sleeping curious as to what they would do next, Jason soon found out when Cam said "We should use water, like they did in the cartoon."

"Okey." said Jake as the light footsteps rushed away. Jason soon found out exactly what that meant when Jake and Cam returned. He felt the warm water poured on him and then the sound of Epiphany coming into the hallway and asking what they were up to.

"We wanted to wake Jason so we did what Spongebob did, but we used warm water so we didn't scare him." he said proudly. Jason raised one eyebrow, then thought to himself to find out exactly what this Spongebob did and why he would be encouraging this type of behavior.

Epiphany said "Well since it looks like it worked, you two get down stairs and eat breakfast. Then join me, your mom should be awake by then and she wants to see the two of you."

"Okey." said Jake who then grinned at the wet man starting to stand.

"Maybe Mommy will go to the beach with us, Jason." said an excited Cam as he rushed off to get something to eat.

Epiphany let out a quiet chuckle before suggesting Jason go dry his face. "Our girl should be waking up soon. You just take the time with the boys while she is getting on with the healing."

With a bowed head, he replied "She wouldn't have needed to heal if I had just taken the time to tell her what was going on instead of trying to protect her."

"Well, that one is between you and her, but Jason you might want to take a look at why you can tell everyone else but not the woman you love what is going on with your life." With that, she walked back into Elizabeth's room then turned to stare at the brunette trying to pretend she wasn't eavesdropping.

"As for you, I know your life hasn't been easy, but you might want to take a good look at why this all came to pass and start with that second kidnapping of your little boy. Think good and hard on why on earth you would ever trust that moron Spencer with your safety let alone Sam McCall."

Elizabeth just moved to the window and watched the trees swaying in the breeze. Then she turned and said "There were two reason, one I was waiting for Jason to step up, he has never done that. I was trying to make a decision. Did I want to spend the rest of my life playing second fiddle to Carly with my own family or did I finally walk away. As for Lucky, I had no one else to trust."

Jason had been walking away when he heard what the nurse had been saying to Elizabeth and had intended to let it go for now, but instead he opened the door and said "I have never made you play second fiddle to Carly."

With an angry whirl Elizabeth turned and said "Really, shall I point out all the times I have done so. First there was when I got out of GH after being kidnapped, you left me alone barely minutes after getting home to rescue her from what? Her own stupidity. There there was Sonny's fake death and that entire mess. You let her run me down all over town, you have NEVER ONCE told her to mind her own business, you just stand there like that Borg that Taggert used to compare you to waiting for orders from Sonny or Carly."

"JUST once, Jason, just once I would like to have heard you defend me with something other than a weak, _Carly don't_. But then you would have to face that she manipulates you with your true son. Michael. But no, we can't mention him can we? Or how you have done EVERYTHING for your BROTHER'S SON and fought like HELL FOR HIM. But for Jake, hell no. WHY NOT? Because you don't really care, you pretend to feel the emotions, but in truth, you wish any other woman but me was his mother."

Stunned at the anger he stood there while she continued. "Carly called my son's BASTARDS, YOUR SON A BASTARD, yet, you have continued to kiss her ass. But since you were allowing that bitch Sam McCall to still hang around, I don't care that you aren't the Jason that was screwing the whore. YOU, YOU JASON, you are one who let her hang around. You wouldn't get out of that world for Jake, but you sure as hell did for Mikey, you went to the FBI for that piece of scum Spinelli, but heaven forbid you even leave town without telling Carly to rescue Jake. Didn't think I knew about that one did you?"

Jason felt his anger rising, but when she added "So, go back to Carly, go back to your true family go back to the woman who said my death because of Diego didn't matter as much as your hands being hurt. Because my leaving my sons orphans didn't matter as much as your ability to wipe away the users in your life's mistakes. Oh, I have that wrong, only one of my son's would have been an orphan, my body wouldn't have hit the ground before Carly would have been telling Jake to call her Mommy with you standing there doing your usual silent bit instead of telling her to back off because you gave that woman your balls years ago, didn't you?" she mocked before turning back to the window.

Epiphany had rushed off to get Tom, but they along with AJ just stood in the hallway while Johnny got the boys out of the house on Tom's orders before they heard the arguing.

"Are you finished?" asked Jason evenly. When she just snorted and said "I could go on all day."

"Well my turn now. What about that bastard Spencer, he has emotionally abused you for years, I have had to stand by and do nothing, because if I stepped in I was the bad guy. Same with that asshole Ric, and that user Zander. I have never felt like you wanted me to be first in your life."

"Wrong again, but then maybe it went over your head because your blood was all at your belt line from watching that whore Courtney strip." she snapped.

"No, even then, I never felt like I was first. Whatever else, even if they didn't truly love me, at least Sam and Courtney were willing to put me second behind themselves, with you I have a long list of people who were more important to you." he said.

"Well, now you know how I felt for years. Does Saint Carly and Sonny know where you are, wait that's right. They don't you had to get a body double to get away." she replied.

"I had to fake your death to get you away from that loser Lucky Spencer, who the minute you were gone, started running you down, but hey, it's only the people in my life who are users, isn't it?" he snapped back.

"I have spent my time here, facing that Lucky wasn't who I wanted him to be. Can you say the same for Carly?" she said "At least I thought I loved Lucky, what is your excuse? That she let you be who you were, like hell she did. She let you be who she wanted you to be."

"I know." was all he said. "I realized how bad things were finally, but on the subject of Carly, how am I suppose to know how she treats you if you never tell me. This is the first I ever heard about her calling the boys bastards, about her telling you your death wouldn't matter."

"Well if you don't do anything about the other crap that happened right in front of you, how am I supposed to make you believe me she is saying this crap. If I get video footage would that have sufficed?" she mocked back.

"I would have trusted you." he protested.

"No, you wouldn't. You would have done the easy thing and pushed me away, anything to keep your true son in your life, isn't that why you didn't want to leave after Michael was hurt, because you would have had to let him go? I am amazed you are here now, unless, do you have people watching keeping an eye on the poor misguided future murderer?"

"Actually I do, because I am scared at what he might do next." he said.

"Funny, yet you couldn't be bothered with Jake or me. I think you just proved my point." she said with a smug grin.

"That was why I sent Johnny O'Brien. He was supposed to be protecting you, letting you know what was going on. I have NEVER left you or our boys unprotected."

"No, at least once or twice you sent the fox in the guise of Sam to watch the hen house. How did that one work out, oh, I recall our son was kidnapped, and you couldn't even bother to stop long enough to check up on me. Instead you ran off with that bitch who more than likely was involved with his kidnapping both times." She said letting it all out.

"I thought she was. That was why I was keeping her close." he said beyond frustrated with her. If she had felt these things, why hadn't she said anything.

"Let me guess, you couldn't go to the police, poor Sam you felt sorry for her, after all she can't have kids anymore? Isn't that how it goes. Courtney hits me, your prove it and cover up. Carly does stuff like that all the time, you cover it up. What were you going to do this time, Jason. Give her money and sent her out of town?"

"No, I was going to kill her, like I had promised." he said calming down knowing he had to get it all out.

With a bitter laugh, she said "We all know how good your promises are, don't we Jason? Sam would die of old age before you fulfill that one, after all, she didn't hurt Carly's kid, just mine."

"Ours." he snapped. "Something you seem to forget, but then we both know you would have preferred Lucky be Jake's father."

"No, I wouldn't but at least Lucky didn't put his best friend's son before his, only himself. At least the boys had the semblance of the feeling he wanted them, even if it was only to screw with you. Why he bothered, I will never know, we both are well aware you don't give a crap. You just paid me off, just like your father did with your mother."

"What are you talking about? Moni-" he protested only for her to interrupt.

"Right, Monica who is your stepmother, Jason. Try Susan Moore, your biological mother, but then you don't give a crap about her, do you? Maxie and Sam made sure I heard all about it; that freak Spinelli dug up the research on her and your past. She took great pleasure in comparing the situations." she said bitterly.

"I don't know anything about it." he admitted. "But I have loved you for years, but you kept tearing out bits of my heart and tossing them away. It's why I let Courtney in, you were destroying me, I loved you, but my life... I wanted better for you but you wouldn't let me go. So I decided to put a stop to it, I am sorry I hurt you. I just wanted to stop hurting myself, don't you get that?"

"You were the one who lied to me." she reminded him. "I wanted a chance with you, I am not just talking about Sonny, that was work, but what part of watching that blond bimbo strip was work that I couldn't know about?"

"Sonny, I am sorry about that, he refused to let me tell you."

"Like I said, Carly and he held your balls in a jar. Did they give them back so that you could sneak around on your brother with his wife?" she said mocking him.

"You tell me, did Lucky give your permission to screw Nik?" he found the words out of his mouth before his brain realized what he was saying. Horrified his head came up and saw the matching horror on her face before she moved around him in tears. "Wait, I didn't..."

He watched as Elizabeth pushed past the three people in the hallway all of whom were staring at them. "Elizabeth... look, please"

Following her, he saw Tom stop AJ from following them, and knew that the doctor was letting them go to deal with this stuff.

Rushing out, he saw her in front of him and saw she was heading for the olive tree grove where the caretaker had warned him about the bees. When she had to slow down long enough to open the gate, he tackled her "Stop, there are bees down there."

"Get off me." she shouted and started crying. Seeing her red skin, Jason tensed remembering the burns. "I won't run, just get off me."

Rolling off her, Jason went to help her up, but she shook off his hands saying get away.

"No, we need to talk. I can't believe I said that, I never wanted to hurt you with that, I know we weren't together. I have no right..." Jason was frantic, he had never meant to throw that at Elizabeth, but he had been hurting, in part because everything she said was true, but also because the more she talked the less likely he thought they had of a future.

With a sad sigh, she moved into a seated position. "No, you were comparing the two situations, you were right. I have no excuse, even being sick isn't one."

"No, it is. Tom told me about the PTSD and that you had a relapse as a result of everything that has been happening for the last few years." he said. "Elizabeth, you and only you have the power to destroy me, my love for you... it terrifies me, it always has." Jason had to make her see what he was truly feeling.

"I don't understand. I love you, I have always wanted us to try but you would close up and tell me to stay away because of the danger, then I would see you with others. It was the part that hurt the worst this past year." she admitted wiping at the tears.

"Because they aren't you. I would hurt, but if you died, I would die." he stated as simply as he could. "Every single time you have been hurt in the last few years, it was because of me and my life. I can't deal with you dying because of me."

"So if I died because of a car accident, or the swine flu, you are saying you would be able to deal because that is what it sounds like to me." she said standing.

Joining her, he said "No, that isn't what I am saying. I just... Elizabeth, I ..." With a bitter laugh, he finally got it. "You are right, it wouldn't matter why you died, I would just regret what we lost, but I... when we... I ... when..."

Seeing whatever he was trying to say wouldn't come out, she said "I need to see the boys, if you don't mind."

"NO!" Seeing her surprise, he said "You can see the boys later, we are going to talk about this. I am trying to say, you are right. I just don't know how we are going to go forward from this. How do deal with my fear, because that is what it is, my fear, isn't it?"

"No, it's our fear. I just was so angry after Jake was returned, you have always made me feel like I wasn't good enough, strong enough to live in your world." she said sadly.

"No, that has never been it. Don't you get it, I look at Sonny's life and the women in it. Brenda went crazy, Carly did as well. Courtney ended up on drugs, Sam, she grew up in it, but it has turned her into this hard person who looks at everyone to see what they can do for her. Lily died, Kate was shot. Reese died."

"Brenda, had a history of mental instability in her family, Carly the same. Courtney ended up on drugs because she took the easy way out in everything. As for Sam, she is a Cassadine, they all like that. As for Lily, yes that was a tragedy, Kate the same thing. But Jason, Sonny is unstable as well, that is that the center of all of that mess you just mentioned." she pointed out then added.

"Look at the strong women around him. Alexis, she moved on, her only time in a mental institute she was faking it. Kate is still around, same with Diane, even if she didn't sleep with Sonny, she is part of his life. Hannah is back with the FBI, Karen became a doctor after overcoming drugs because of Jason Quartermaine. You don't get it, you are not Sonny. Same with the business, when you were running things it was calm, but Sonny is chaos. He and Luke are a lot alike, they thrive in messes because they have others who rescue them."

"As for Carly, god Elizabeth... you have no idea how many time I have warned her about you. Told her to leave you alone. You are right, she won't change because I haven't made her change. I just have always hoped that someday, she would see what you mean to me."

AJ had escaped Tom wanting to be a third party since of all of them, he knew most of the parties best. He was only going to listen but decided to say something. With a sad chuckle he said "Jason, you don't get it. Carly knows, she knew back when she was married to me what Elizabeth meant to you, why do you think she has been acting like she has?"

Shocked at the outside voice, the two turned around as AJ walked over to join them. "A word from someone if not wiser, how about less emotionally involved. "Carly knew, Sonny knew. You don't hide it well, Jason. You never have. Even Emily resented the closeness to the two of you in the beginning."

"How do you know that?" asked Elizabeth looking at the blond.

"She told me so. She said she finally real..." With a puzzled expression, AJ looked at them and said "I am not sure. I was going to say before she died from the cancer, but she didn't die from cancer."

"Anyhow, to get back to the situation at hand, Lucky and Carly are a lot a like. You both need to face that to have a future together, if that is what you want, you are going to have to cut them out of your lives. A complete exit. Even Michael, Jason. Elizabeth is right to feel like she does. Elizabeth, Jason will only do what you want, don't you get that by now. You were the one who wanted him to walk away from Jake, he did what YOU ASKED!"

Ashamed, she said "I know, I just didn't want..."

Jason had talked to Tom and knew her fears. "You didn't want him to grow up feeling like you did. But what we were doing, is going to cause damage. We are going to have a mess to deal with in a few years. But it is both of our fault. I know you aren't ready to deal with this now, but when you come out the other side of this. If You want me, I am there. Even if you don't want me." he said then shocked them both by kissing her cheek. "I meant what I said. I love you, I will always love you."

With a soft voice, she said "I love you too, I just am not ready to give myself up to it, at least not until I get my mind together, but in the end... you and our boys, is my endgame."

"Good, we will be here waiting for you." he said then saw her reach out for his hand.

"I am going to sleep for a while, when I deal with things, it helps." she said quietly then squeezing his hand, she said "We are probably going to deal with lots of crap, but one thing, I am so sorry I thought it was you with Sam. I let my heart break and when I was trying to fix it, it went numb instead. It was what lead to agreeing to remarry Lucky. Thank god, I told him it was over, as for Nik, I still don't know why it happened. I have NEVER been attracted to him. I think he became a way to end things with Lucky."

When she had gone inside, Jason looked at AJ and said "Thanks. And you are right, about a lot of things. I just don't get how Carly could possibly think what you are saying she thinks."

Rolling his eyes, AJ said "You have let her run your life, she thinks it is because secretly you want a life with her. Even Corinthos got that, why do you think he kept you so close. We have some other things to deal with."

Talking business, AJ wrapped it up saying. "I am going to move up the time table on Cassadine, I want him hurting for what he did to Elizabeth and to Emily's memory. When she comes down on the other side of this, Elizabeth is going to feel guilt about more than how this affected you, it will always be there when she thinks of Emily."

"We have one more thing, Moore. We had better hope that Nik doesn't go to his cousin and her handy computer expert or this is going to be explode in our faces."

"That is why we need to move up the time table. I hope that Mac is ready for this. I know you want to keep Zachara here to help with the boys, but I think we need to send him to Scorpio."

**Snippets**

Diane thanked the Commissioner for his help then called Nik Cassadine. "I need to see your brother and you. We have to discuss something."

"Why would Jason Morgan's attorney need to talk to us?" he said. Seeing Alexis walking into his study he took the papers and swore at what they said. "I am rather busy right now, you will have to do whatever dirty deed Morgan wants without annoying me."

"My guess is that right now, your aunt is giving you an offer on GH, my client wants to give you a counteroffer." she said keeping a smile off her face when she saw Sam and Spinelli approaching. There had been a fire as a result of the stereo speakers exploding in Jason's penthouse, she had just gotten off the phone with the fire department and knew damn well what they wanted.

"Tell your client I am accepting the other offer." he snapped then took the pen and the offer, signing it before Alexis could say anything.

"We would double the money." she said.

"No." he snapped then hung up. "Get this filed before Morgan tries to interfere."

Diane discreetly made the call then turned to the two annoyances. "What may I do for you Miss McCall, Mr. Spinelli?"

"We have been told by the fire department that we can't stay at the Towers." pouted the dark haired woman.

"I know, they sent a letter to Jason as well. We have no recourse but to wait until the work has been done. I do believe that Mrs. Jacks is staying at her hotel with her son and that Jason has found a place as well. He decided to do some major reworking on the top floor since he now owns both penthouses."

"But Sonny--"

"Sold them to Kate Howard for a dollar along with most of his legitimate business." she smoothly finished. "Now I have things to do, if you will excuse me."

Sam heard her phone ring and saw that it was Jason. "I just heard about the penthouse, why don't you come visit me. Let Spinelli with his babysitter."

With a quick smile at the geek, she said "Okay, I will be right there, Can I bring you anything?"

Giving her his dinner order, Johnny let her in twenty minutes later. After finishing the disgusting Chinese food, he 'let' her seduce him. Looking at the clock, he smiled when it struck nine. Time to begin. "Sam, we need to talk about the baby."

"I am sorry, Jason. It was a mistake, I don't want to discuss it. We can just raise him or her like we were planning on doing with Sonny's child."

"But see, there is a problem with that. I was only going to raise that child because it was Sonny's. Now, we can keep seeing each other, but it will be done discreetly, your child will play no part in our time together." he said.

Sam was sure she could get him to change his mind, he had the last time. So she gave him a watery smile and said "I get it, it is too dangerous for you to be around my child."

"Good, now that we agree, why don't you go open your present." he said pointing to the package. When Sam had opened the trashy lingerie, Johnny suggested she change into it, knowing it all had to be timed just right.

He was letting her work her way down his stomach just as the door opened the blond standing there screeched to the high heavens. When the two women saw each other, they were both smugly sure that they were the one that Jason wanted.

Standing there watching them fight, he only stepped in when it started to get psychical. "Ladies we need to talk. Sam, yes Carly was invited, I thought we would be down long before this. Carly, do you really think we are in an exclusive relationship or something? We aren't. We are all adults. We can share. I won't object if you two decide to start sleeping together, I might actually want to wat--"

Johnny took pleasure in the slap from Carly. Grabbing her hand, he said "Now if you are going to act this way, we are done. Do you two understand what I am saying? Now I suggest you both think on this. Carly, you are great in bed, but Sam, has a way with certain things. I am sure it because of her past but frankly she will do whatever I wants and has in the last several months."

"You whore." snapped the blond.

"Who do you think you are talking to?" she snapped.

The PI outside, called his client and said "I have what you need." Handing up, he called his partner and said "You are not going to believe this one. This one is for the annals, two women just agreed to share a man who pretty much described them both as whores."

!!*!!

Mac and Monica were tired after taking the tour of the Presidential bunker at the Greenbrier resort, they had no sooner sat down to dinner when the phone rang. "Monica, this is Tom Hardy. We need Mac Scorpio and you on a plane to Morocco, then you will taking a charter flight to Italy. I don't have time to explain."

Stunned, Mac called the nearest airport which seemed to be Washington and they were soon driving on pure adrenaline. "What is it?"

"I don't know, but I think we will finally get the answers to the questions we have been asking." he said.

Two days later, the tired couple entered the Tuscan villa to the sound of childish laughter and Monica was stunned by the sight of her two sons wearing paint all over their clothes. "AJ? How come you aren't dead? And Jason, what the hell happened to your hair?"

Tom looked up as the middle-aged blond stared at her sons and said "1...2...3 Epiphany, Dr. Quartermaine just passed out."

Both men rushed to catch their mother while Mac held her. "Here." he said handing her to them. Then looking at Elizabeth he said "I am glad you are alright."

"No, I am not, but I am getting there." she said with a smile then laughed when Cam looked at Mac and said "Do you want to paint with us?"

!!*!!

Meanwhile at a remote location, a young woman sat next to the older man in the bed. "We can't give up. I have to believe he will find us."

"I wouldn't count on it, even if he does... do you really think I will let you leave here alive?" With that Jerry walked over and said "Looks like I won't have to feed this one much longer, I guess your medical skills aren't that great are they?"

When the man had left after his monthly visit, the brunette looked at the man in bed and said "Don't give up, Dr. Quartermaine.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10 Talking Things Out

_**Chapter 10: Talking things Out**_

_You make things better by talking about them, but only because you are shining a light in the darkness._

Monica woke up to see Epiphany Johnson taking her pulse. "I think I am fine. I just need the answer to two questions. One is AJ alive and two does Jason have bleach blond shoulder length hair?"

The nurse chuckled and said "Yes as to the hair, apparently while trying to get Jason to safely, your older son dyed his hair. Trust me, I asked that one myself."

Standing up, Monica followed her back into the large front room where Mac was talking to Tom Hardy and to her surprise Audrey and Steven. "When did you to arrive?"

"Ten minutes ago. I was rather shocked to see both your sons playing with my grandsons." replied Audrey as she sat down on the large sofa. "They all disappeared though."

Johnny Z walked into the room carrying the iced tea pitcher and glassed just as AJ returned. "You do know if you don't make it as a mini gangster you will always have a successful career waiting in domestics. Manny, maid and even cook." he said then saw him mother glaring at him.

"Uh..." he had no idea what to say and was happy when Cameron and Jake rushed into the room excited to see their great grandmother. "I will see what is taking Jason and Elizabeth so long."

"You do that, you chicken." said Steven as he watched the man slip away just as Jason entered the room.

"Uncle Steven, Mommy says it's not nice to call someone that word." warned Cameron who then spoiled the warning by adding "So don't get caught."

"Cameron Steven Webber, is that appropriate?" asked said Mommy.

With a guilty expression, he said "I heard Uncle AJ call Jason that, yesterday when you were walking ahead of us at the beach."

With an aside to Tom, Epiphany said "Gee, I wonder why he would say that?"

Chuckling, Tom saved his great nephew from trouble by greeting a now clean Jason with the idea of having Epiphany take the boys to the playroom. Seeing that they didn't want to leave, Jason instead suggested they search the kitchen for the ingredients to brownies. "Maybe after this we can talk your Mommy into making some."

"Okay, I can sound out the words for Epiph." said an excited Cam "And Jake can carry everything to the table."

Once the boys had left, Jason said "Johnny and Elizabeth don't know parts of this, so we are going to let AJ start since they don't even know what the two of you have been doing." he informed Monica.

"Good, I have been patient but I really want to know what is going on." she said sitting down next to Elizabeth and hugging the brunette. "Then afterwords, I want to spend some time with my grandsons."

"I am sorry, we just..." said a guilty Elizabeth.

"No, I understand. From the firestorm that went on after you went shall we say missing, I get why it was kept quiet." Hugging the young woman who had given her a great gift, she said "Okay start talking."

"I have been being held someplace for the last several years by a man, he is little more than a shadow of a memory right now. All I recall is that I was trying to escape to get help for the others. I have no idea who they are but we think we have some idea."

"My daughter, that is why you dragged me into this?" asked Mac.

"All I know is that I woke up in a hospital in Las Vegas. The police ran several tests on my clothes and everything including the drugs in my system. They concluded it was some kind of designer drug that induces memory loss."

"Then how do you know the other stuff?" asked Audrey.

"They also found a key, and there was some evidence that I had been free a few days before whoever had me finally drugged me." he said running his fingers through his hair. "As time went on, my memory returned, then one day I saw a blond man with bright blue eyes. But it wasn't Jason,"

"The man in Port Charles pretending to be him?" asked Elizabeth.

"Yes, and just seeing him gave me back my memories. At least part of them, my past in Port Charles and the knowledge that someone is waiting on me to rescue them." he said.

"He connected with Johnny, that is the man using my face. We... uh, I already had a plan in place to look for some answers to a few questions I was having. He had the surgery in February of this year." admitted Jason. "He had always been friendly with Stan, Epiphany's son. He tracked down what had really happened in regards to his death."

"What did happen?" asked Mac.

"Stan had been getting out of the business, he didn't like Spinelli and had been trying to warn me about the kid. I didn't want to see it because I just saw someone who needed rescuing. Someone who I thought was too smart for his own good. I didn't want to look any deeper, because..." then with a sideways look at Elizabeth and his mother. "I was lonely and he made it easy at first to keep-away from Elizabeth and our sons. Now I think it was more than that, but we will get to that part later."

"Anyhow, Johnny found proof that Stan had gone to work for what he believed to be a pharmaceutical company. It was a front for Ian Devlin and Jerry Jacks. After he had done what they needed, they had him killed. The package he sent to his mother, it was a clue in case he didn't survive. He was cautious, because he had never met the man who hired him."

"Jerry?" asked Mac thinking about how far the man had fallen.

"Yes, but in the guise of Mr. Moreau, hence the book The Island of Dr. Moreau." said AJ. "When Spinelli received the package and promised you he would look into it, he never did why?"

"I was told he couldn't find anything." Epiphany told Mac.

"But in truth, he hadn't been looking. That was partly my fault." said Jason. "I sent him to spy on Sam, telling him to take care of her, it was right after she was hit. But I didn't think things through, I didn't get that he got the idea that it was because I was concerned. I was, but that she would try and pin the hit-and-run on Elizabeth."

Seeing them look, Elizabeth explained that she had been on the road that night and had hit the railing while almost falling asleep at the wheel.

Monica said "Her forgiving me for that, it was all part of a plan, wasn't it?"

"I think so, at least that is what it is looking like." admitted Jason.

"So, Jerry killed Stan. And if Spinelli had bothered looking into it, instead Devlin shot Michael and sent my life into the pits." said Jason in disgust. "Even then, we had the name Moreau, but since I haven't ever seen the box of items, I never connected it and Spinelli would have blindly avoided it since Sam would later become part of that mess."

"How?" asked Monica.

"She told Devlin about Jake. I found that out from something Johnny's father said this year. I was trying to get at the truth, but things kept happening around me, now I get that it was all partly because of Sam and Spinelli. We will come back to that." he said before looking at AJ.

"Johnny then went to report to Jason. He kept quiet about me, since he didn't trust me. He was probably right not to. At the time, I had just found out about Michael and was very angry. I visited him at the hospital in New York and saw Sam McCall visiting him along with a few others. Sam's visit intrigued me because I saw her with the man we now know is Jerry Jacks, but I kept quiet. I shouldn't have because I had the other clue to Jason's mystery. One day while we were there, I heard a song in the cafeteria. It jogged my memory as to the key."

"The one on you in Vegas?" asked Steven.

"Yes, it wasn't to a post office box or a safety deposit box. It was to a diary, I found it in Port Charles hidden in the library there. It lead me to what I believe was my coat. Inside were clues."

"The ones you sent me to chase down?" asked Mac.

"Yes, I followed the exact same clues, but we are stuck on one. I know the answer is in the previous clues, that is why I sent you after them. There was one clue, it said that if I got stuck to ask Elizabeth or you." he said looking at the commissioner. "She knew several of the answers already, from reading travel guides. She picked up some weird reading habits from my brother." he said.

"We had just found the one in West Virginia when we got your call. Why don't you give me the rest of them, maybe if we are all together we can figure them out." he said.

"Fine, but later. There is more you need to know. Okay, we are about to the part of the story where Michael ran away and double Jason and I were to meet up with my brother." said AJ. "We had been keeping an eye on one of the people Jerry seemed to want dead. A Claudia Zachara."

Seeing Johnny wince, Mac said "Did he kill her?"

Jason knew it was time and said "No, Michael did."

Seeing everyone turn and stare he added. "Claudia had grabbed Carly and she went into labor. Michael hit her when he found them because she was threatening to take Carly's baby then kill her."

Seeing them wince, he said "I only know what Johnny O'Brien told AJ when he called yesterday."

"Getting back to AJ's story, is this when you switched places?"" asked Monica.

"We had a plan in place, next time I went out of town, we were planning on doing so. But it went to hell rather quickly." said Jason. "First Sam decided to tag along and I didn't want her angry and attacking Elizabeth and the boys. So I let her come along. Spinelli was in on it and we had car problems from something he claimed to have put in my SUV to help. Needless to say it didn't. I was having horrible headaches and knew that I needed to get it checked out."

"Did you?" It was the first words Elizabeth had spoken to Jason since she had woken up the day after their fight.

"Yes, I am fine. There was bleeding, but they used a laser to fix things." he said softly. "First we need to tell you what went down."

"I split up with Sam, she ended up caught by Jerry. More than likely she just blundered in like usual. While she was being held, Jerry found me and shot me several times. By the time AJ and Johnny arrived, I was a mess."

"We got him out but Jerry saw 'Jason' and shot and drugged Johnny. A bullet grazed his head and hit him in the leg. Meanwhile, I made a decision to get Jason out of there. First I waited until Jerry had left, then checked on Johnny. He was lucid and saying he would make sure things in Port Charles were taken care of."

"I woke up in a private clinic in Mexico City. They found the bleeding and took care of it at the same time as the bullets. I was laid up for almost two months." he said with a shudder.

"Meanwhile, Johnny was delirious and between the lack of sanitary conditions and the lack of skills of the woman taking care of him, he started to believe he was Jason. But he forgot everything else. He only got his memory back the day Elizabeth verbally assaulted him at the warehouse. I gather first it was a jumble of memories, mainly what Jason had told him to use to get you to believe him about who he was, Elizabeth." AJ found himself wanting to help his brother and the girl his sister had considered her best friend.

Sitting quietly, she then said "The strange remarks, that day. I was so angry and wondering what the hell was wrong with you." Jason saw her looking at him. "Snow, and see you later, and something about a blue vase. But you never gave me a blue vase."

Looking at her, he said sadly. "There was a letter with a key. At the safe house you would have found a package with a promise that I would be back. Inside was a blue vase with a ring in the bottom."

The others in the room felt like they were intruding but didn't leave, knowing that there was more for the two to deal with than just this. "We should talk, later." she stated then asked AJ to continue.

"When Jason was well, we started to track down the connections to the Russians and to whoever was kidnapped. We made a list of everyone that has died in Port Charles since Jerry Jacks came to town hoping to figure out who else was being held. Since the note mentions Mac, we believe that Georgie is one of them, sir." he said to Mac.

"How do we find my daughter?" he asked firmly. "What do you need?"

"The answers to the clues. All of them in order are how we find her and whoever else is there." said Jason. "Elizabeth, one thing. Nik..."

Seeing her flinch, he said "Nik, is somehow involved. We know he gave Ian ten million dollars to let him see Emily after she died, but we are finding a connection to Claudia that doesn't add up either."

"Of course not." said Johnny. Seeing them look at him. "Nik knew about Claudia's connection to Michael getting shot. He knew it was about Sonny rejecting her and kidnapping me."

"Wait, I thought it was about business, the shipping routes for the drugs they wanted brought in." said Jason whirling around in anger.

"For Ian, yes. Claudia went to him, wanted Sonny taken out after the Cannery explosion. Your business had nothing to do with this." said Johnny. "Anthony was the one who made the deal with Sonny after he got in over his head with the Russians."

Furious to figure out that he had been lied to yet again by Sonny as well as by Nik, Jason lost all regret about taking away his empire. Seeing AJ's expression, he knew that his brother agreed.

"I just don't get it, why wouldn't Nik tell?" asked Monica bewildered.

No one touched that question as AJ moved on. "We heard about the warehouse, we were already there trying to figure out what the hell was going on with Johnny, Jason had done some reconnaissance and seemed upset, but it wasn't until after Elizabeth was hurt that he explained."

Elizabeth knew that he had more than likely found out about Lucky and Nik, and felt sick. When she felt a hand squeeze her shoulder, she looked up to see Johnny Zachara watching her with a sad expression. "How did you spirit her away?"

"That was with my help. He showed up in medical scrubs, but those eyes, gave it away." said Epiphany.

"I had forgotten the contacts at the motel." admitted Jason. "We were frantic and needed to be sure to grab both Elizabeth and the boys. When we got Elizabeth out of GH, I went to find Cameron and Jake."

"But I got there first." said Johnny shaking his head. Explaining to Monica and Mac, he expected anger but instead got understanding.

Mac shook his head, the kid had had the right idea, but seriously, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to raise two kids? What were you planning on telling them as they got older?"

"I wasn't thinking. I just wanted... I just wanted to protect them." he said. "Looking back, I just acted on instinct."

"So, what is going to happen now?" asked Monica.

"We track down the clues, find whoever is there and rescue them. Let Elizabeth heal and then we take it from there." said Jason looking at the woman he loved.

"How are you dear?" Audrey asked her granddaughter. "Truly?"

"Getting better. Facing the trauma has been helping. It has been a roller coaster ride, but talking things out has helped." she admitted. "The boys are loving it here, I am going to miss this place when we leave."

"It's not like we can't ever come back." Jason pointed out. "We own it."

The others once again felt like they were intruding but AJ didn't want to embarrass Jason and Elizabeth. Deciding to keep moving he added. "We are also working on a few plans dealing with things in Port Charles."

"Like Sonny suddenly ending up in jail?" asked Mac.

"No, he did that one all on his own." said a grim AJ. He had had his own plans for the man who had destroyed his son. "I do have to ask, how far gone is my son?"

Mac didn't want to tell him, but knew he had to. "He is ordering around Sonny's men. But things are ugly. Jason, the Giambetti brothers are gone, so Cody Paul is running things. At least on the surface."

Jason knew that Cody was taking orders from Johnny O'Brien, but didn't tell Mac. "Why is Michael out on bail?"

"Carly bailed him out." said Monica. "I talked to an attorney friend of Lee Baldwin's, but Michael rejected his suggestions, Carly keeps trying to pressure Alexis to represent him, but she won't touch the case. She sent the girls to visit Ric but he committed suicide, so they are back now. Things got ugly with Sam."

"That would be my fault." said Elizabeth who told them what she had said.

With a chuckle, Mac said "I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when Alexis reported that to Ric. She is still furious about that one, and to have the girls in the know, both of them would have had to answer some very ugly questions."

Hearing small footsteps, they all saw the little boys rushing in and had to smile when Jake ran to his mommy and said "Brownies, please?"

Seeing the look on their faces, Elizabeth said "Well, I am going to need some help. Any volunteers?"

To the sound of Me! Me!, Elizabeth said "We are going to be in the kitchen. Relax, Uncle Tom, I won't overdo it. I promise. Mac, I looked at the clues, I can't figure out the last one either. Maybe it is something between Georgie and you, instead of ..."

Seeing her leave without finishing, Mac looked and saw that Jason looked upset along with Tom. Johnny just sat down and took the first set. "Okay, Smoot, that would be Boston. These are the Lions at the NYPL, this one is the armonica in Philly."

Seeing his sad expression, Monica asked how he knew that one. "I remember a friend writing to me about it. She knew how much I loved playing the piano. At that point, I couldn't because of my father." With that he went back to looking at the clues. "I think this one is Gettysburg, but don't have a clue as to the name."

"That is because it connects to the Hardy's." said Monica.

"Who?" asked the young Italian.

"My family." replied Tom with a chuckle.

"I thought you were a Webber?" he stated while looking confused.

"Elizabeth's dad didn't know he was a Hardy until he was finished with med school. He kept the Webber name to honor his adopted father, Lars."

"And I got stuck with it as a middle name." said Steven. "What about this clue?"

"The Greenbrier resort, they have a secret bunker. I remember hearing about that ages ago." Johnny didn't mention that once again it was the result of his pen pal. "This one here, I think that is Mount Vernon."

Mac took the clue about the round barn and said "I wasn't sure. We knew that it was Virginia, but other than that..."

"Yes, it is. Georgie Washington built a round barn so that his horses could thrash wheat inside of it while exercising." said Jason.

"Dweeb." said AJ under his breath, only for his mother to hold her breath in shock when Jason looked around for the boys then smacked him upside the head.

She felt her eyes watering up, it was the first time in years she had seen them truly acting like brothers. Deciding to go help Elizabeth in the kitchen, she found her daughter's best friend letting the two little boys help. Standing in the doorway, watching the adorable scene, she felt Epiphany enter.

"Monica, Jason was hoping you had a few minutes. He just went to the back patio."

Walking outside, she saw her son watching the sunset. "Jason?"

After inviting her to sit, he said "This is awkward, but you are the only person I have to ask. Apparently Spinelli, Sam and Maxie were using my birth mother to torment Elizabeth. Comparing the situation to Jake and her. I need to know the truth so that I can figure out what they were doing since Elizabeth shuts down."

Knowing it wouldn't put her in the best light, Monica delayed a bit by asking. "I just have one question first. If you love Elizabeth, why aren't you with her. Seems to me your family would be safer with you than away from you."

"I panicked. I have screwed up so bad over the years, almost ruined things, so many times." he said. "She is right, I did let Carly influence my decisions, just not for the reasons she thinks."

"Explain?" she asked.

"I have always thought that if I didn't push things, Carly would realize how much Elizabeth means to me. Then this year, when I thought I had lost them, I finally got it. She didn't care. She has taken over my life because she has no one else in hers. I let it happen, first because of a promise to Michael, then because of guilt over the last few years for the way Michael is turning out."

"You are not responsible for that, Sonny is, Carly is, but you are only his uncle. That would be like blaming Tracy for AJ's misdeeds."

With a chuckle, Jason said "No, a good part of them are on me, but you are right, I get that now. See Tom has been working with more than Elizabeth."

"Good, I only wish we had done things different years ago." said Monica.

"As for my feelings for Elizabeth..." He never saw the petite shadow but Monica did. "I have loved her for years. You want to know the funny part, I realized how much I loved her the day after I had lied to someone and said I had never loved her."

"Courtney?" asked a knowing Monica. Seeing him nod, she replied. "That one was a piece of work, I knew she was a user, I was reminded of Steven's mother when I first met her. Why would she be... this was when you were split up the first time."

"Yes, Sonny had faked his death and I had asked to tell Elizabeth but he refused to let me. I would have never believed he did it on purpose, but looking back, he did."

Monica had been thinking of when Courtney and Jason had been separated, not Elizabeth. It gave her a clearer picture on her son and his love life. "Carly had a big part of that, Jason. I have mellowed over the years with her, hoping to be part of Micheal's life, but I have never fooled myself in regards to that woman and her intentions."

"I get that. She is going to be a problem when we go home. We are going to cut the users out of our lives. For me that is Carly and Tom is right, that has to mean Michael." he admitted. "I just worry he won't be alive in a few years."

"Worry about it, but understand you are not required to save him." said the boy's grandmother.

"I know that. I see so much of Sonny in him, it's like he is his biologically. When he was still in the hospital, he threw a tray at Elizabeth. I restrained him, told Elizabeth to go because I could see it in his eyes, he wanted to hurt her, Mom. I was sure it was from the brain damage at first, but not long before Mexico, I saw something there, something that scared me." he said.

"So what did you do about it?" she asked.

"I did it, I got my family to safety. AJ has a few ideas, I think that if Michael doesn't end up in prison, he might take him to this clinic we found. I wish him luck, but I get the feeling that it might not help, not now."

Jason got up and went to the edge of the flagstone. "I worry about my sons, what if I am a bad parent, what if Cam or Jake..."

"Jason, I am not going to tell you not to worry, but you are not Sonny. Carly and Elizabeth aren't the same either. Those two boys aren't spoiled brats like Michael, I hate to say it but Carly never treated her kids equally. The sun rises and sets with her eldest. Not with Morgan and it will be the same with Jocelyn."

"I know that, when we broke up last year, after the courthouse interviews. Elizabeth had walked around the corner to where I had felt Cam moving inside of her, all I could do is watch. I actually think I had my second daydream of Jason Morgan's life. I dreamed she turned and told me that I couldn't walk away, that she was pregnant. It felt so real, that when Spinelli rushed up, it hurt to find it was only a dream. It's so scary for me, how much I love her and dream about a life with her." he said his voice hoarse.

"Have you ever told her that?" asked Monica.

"Yes and no. I just fall apart when I try. I am sorry, but it is going to be dinner time soon, and I need you to tell me about my biological mother."

"Susan and your father...." A half hour later, Jason laughed and said "I am going to ruin them. They have no idea about anything. They took the rumors and the innuendo and decided to spread their poison, but really in truth...the opposite is true."

Seeing her confusion, Jason forgot he was talking to his mother and said "I walk into a room, think of Elizabeth, hell just smell turpentine and I want her. Have for years. Sam on the other hand, it took some work to get me... uh..." Jason had finally realized what he was saying out loud to the amusement of Monica and Mac who had come to tell them dinner was done.

"Have any of you seen Elizabeth?" Tom asked when he came out.

"No, she walked by earlier." said Monica not wanting to out the woman who was still listening to them from inside.

Sighing, Tom went looking and found her in the library reading. "Elizabeth? Is everything okay?"

Wiping the tears, she said "Yes. Sorry, I just had an idea about the clue, and need to discuss it with Jason."

Remembering how explosive their last conversation had been, Tom wondered if that was a good idea, until he saw that Elizabeth seemed happy. "After dinner, right now, Mac took over the kitchen with your grandmother. Real food!"

"Johnny didn't do that badly." reminded Elizabeth.

"Well Morgan seems to only be able to do eggs, you do okay, but since you didn't cook much..." he teased.

"This from the man who burnt canned tomato soup." she reminded him. "Let get to the table."

!!*!!

In Port Charles, Johnny made sure to meet with the investigator, "Did you get everything."

"Yes and gave it to Mr. Jacks. What now?" he asked.

"Nothing, just keep reporting when you see the blond and the dark haired woman here."

"I am going to be photographing and taping anything else?" he asked.

"God, no! This has been bad enough. As it is, I am going to have to scrub my mind." replied the Irishman.

"I don't get it, they are a little trashy but I mean it is sex." said the PI.

"There is sex then there is sex where even two condoms isn't enough." Said Johnny as he thought about how sleeping with them was penance for his mistakes.

"I thought the one is pregnant."

"She is, but she has been around more than some of the hookers on Courtland street." replied Johnny. "Look, I need to meet the geek, do you have that device?"

"Here." he said. "It should wipe out the hard drive and everything else."

!!*!!

Lucky rolled out of bed, then looked at the blond in it. "Why are you here?"

"What?" asked Maxie as she started to dress.

"I mean I thought you love this guy? Can't any woman remain faithful or are all of you tramps like my ex-wife." he said pulling on his t-shirt.

"You don't know anything. Spinelli, hasn't been up for sex since Jason started avoiding him." she admitted. "I think we are over. Our relationship has made me face that I want you, not him. You have always..."

Seeing him laughing she said "What is so funny?"

"Relationship, please. Carly paid me to get you into my bed again, in revenge for the crap with Sam. A hundred thousand dollars so that I can find my son." It was actually a million but he wasn't going to tell her that.

Slapping him, Maxie rushed out of the room, only to hear him add "You can always compare my techniques with Sam. Apparently Morgan isn't that great in bed either, she was with me a couple of months ago too. Those mobsters don't seem to have what you ladies need." he bragged.

Maxie stopped then turned and said "And ...shit." She got that Lucky was more than likely the real father of Sam's kid. This time though, she was going to help the woman win Morgan so Lucky once again lost the kid.

Lucky took out the tape and called Carly. "Got it, how are you going to get it to the kid?"

"Just give it to him. Jason was the one who suggested it." she hung up and couldn't figure out the why, but when she had told him what she had done, he had just laughed, which in itself had been strange.

She called Michael and sighed when she found him at the old coffee warehouses. Sonny had sold his share and now Michael was trying to figure out what there was left to salvage. Her ex had also had Bernie transfer all his funds to Alexis for Morgan and Kristina.

Michael had lost it when he had heard that his father had turned his back on him. She had talked to Jason who had promised to get him back on the right track, but Carly was scared, for the first time she was getting how damaged her son was as a result of the bullet.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11 Ready Set

_**Chapter 11: Ready...Set...**_

_All actions can trigger reactions, the trick is to be able to react before the other guy/_

Steven looked at them and said San Francisco.

Audrey said "Oh, the Tony Bennett song, I always loved that tune."

When she softly started to hum it, Elizabeth begged please no more. "You used to do that when I was a teenager."

"Well, Mr. Bennett certainly sang some classics. Your grandfather and I used to dance to them on the patio at the end of the day. Those were lovely times."

"What about the rest of it?" asked Tom not wanting the mental images in his head to be even clearer. There just were some things you didn't want to know about your parents.

"Not a clue." she said sitting down.

"You know, I used to think Dillon was nuts, and would block out most of what he would say, but this time I think I have it." said a proud Monica.

Seeing Johnny's confusion, she said "Tracy's son."

"Oh, the one that got poor Lulu pregnant then abandoned her emotionally. Didn't he leave the state because he was embarrassed that he pushed her to have an abortion or something?" Johnny had heard about the man from Lulu and knew that he had really hurt her pretty bad destroying her sense of self.

Elizabeth laughed while Monica and Mac glared at him. "Wow, I knew she wasn't admitting the truth, but Johnny sit down. We need to have a talk about the Spencers and their very bad habit of twisting the truth to make them look good."

When she reached out and finally pulled him down, he got the feeling he didn't have all the facts from the way everyone was looking at him. "Let's take it from the beginning. Did Lulu ever happen to mention that Dillon was married and that she lied to him saying his wife was having an affair so that she could trick him into sleeping with her?"

"Uh, no. She just said he took her uh..." Johnny turned red, not wanting to continue.

"That might be true, I don't know." said Elizabeth. "But Lulu decided she wanted him in spite of his being married and her stepbrother, and then paired up with Diego Alcazar." Seeing his expression, she said "Let me guess, she never mentioned her connection to him, either."

"Just that he had been obsessed." he said.

"With Georgie, not her. The same woman who was married to Dillon." she pointed out gently. "As for abandoning her, he didn't do that in spite of everything she had done. It destroyed his marriage. Now I don't like Maxie, never have. Sorry Mac."

The former commissioner just nodded in understanding. "But Lulu likes to pretend she is better than Maxie after what Maxie did with Lucky, but she frequently forgets her own past. Dillon supported her, didn't want her to have an abortion and was even going to give up his dreams of being a director for the baby and her. Georgie and Dillon never recovered from it. So I would suggest you take anything else Lulu said with a grain of salt."

"Why lie though, it's not like there weren't others who could tell me me the truth?" he asked confused.

"Not really." said Jason. "Diego was thought dead and now is. Georgie was thought to be one of his victims and Dillon left town before you even arrived. Add in that Spinelli went around calling her the blond one, it is a safe guess with his infatuation he would have never told the truth. Crap."

"What?" asked AJ. His brother looked furious.

"Mac, from what Spencer said during the investigation, Georgie liked Spinelli."

The older man closed his eyes. "God, I hope she is over that, or this is going to get ugly."

Elizabeth thought it through and said "No, I always thought it was more of a case of Spinelli was goofy, a bit like Dillon tended to be. I honestly think that after the damage done by Lulu sleeping with Dillon, after the mess with Sage; Georgie just set the romantic bar rather low. I don't think her heart was really engaged. More like..."

When she stood and moved to the door, Tom watched ready to follow as he got what she was thinking. Instead she had a emotional breakthrough and finished. "Spinelli couldn't break her heart. That was all it was about. Disappoint her, yes, but nothing more." When she walked out the door, Jason wanted to follow but she came back in minutes later with the brownies and had hot chocolate in her hand.

Handing it to Johnny she said "Drink this."

"Uh, why?" he asked looking doubtfully at the mug with the thick drink in it.

"It was Emily and my surefire way of dealing with lies via a Spencer/Cassadine." Jason relaxed when she didn't catch her voice in pain at the mention of his sister. He figured something had cleared in her heart, he just didn't know what.

"Getting back to the clue, there are people waiting for us." AJ reminded them so that Johnny could figure out a way to avoid the overly rich drink in his hands. He had seen his sister and Elizabeth drink that sludge more than once.

"As I was saying. Dillon always said that Roger Moor was the best Bond. Personally, I have always preferred Sean Connery." said Monica.

Elizabeth finally got it, taking the lap top to pull up Sean Connery's movies. "The Rock, starring A cage, specifically Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery. Alcatraz. The last clue is Alcatraz. They offer tours of the prison. I remember it from the movie."

"What about the bird man?" asked AJ.

"Bird Man of Alcatraz." said Mac. "Old movie. We probably have to find his cell or something."

AJ sat down and wrote out all the clues. "No, I think it is all right here. I don't think the actual places have anything to do with it. We just need to find the right starting point for this chase."

"What was the first clue again?" asked a suddenly pensive Elizabeth.

"Boston, smoot on a bridge." said Jason handing her one of the brownies. When she walked over and took out a piece of paper, he knew something was bugging her about the clues.

As she tried to work through things, she knew that the elusive answer was buried in her psyche. "I know that it is here."

"Why don't we sleep on it?" asked Audrey while Steven knew that Elizabeth was right, but he didn't get why it was tickling his brain as well.

"Wait, Elizabeth, I think the answer lies with us. Vacations as a family when we were kids. List all the places we went."

"San Diego."... "The Grand Canyon."... "Seattle."... "Anaheim when we went to Disneyland." ... "Alaska, remember what a disaster that one was."

"Wait, we know that the Jacks family has connections in Alaska. I remember Emily and I discussing it with him once, long before he married Carly." insisted Elizabeth.

"We don't need to do that." said Mac suddenly standing up.

"Do you have a place in mind?" asked Jason.

"Yes and I think it fits with the clues." replied Mac. "Bird Island and I have been there. Nothing on the Island except an old gold mine that the family used to own and a house, that was little more than a hut."

"But the clues?" asked Elizabeth.

"How to get there from the bigger island and we have to move now. We are talking about a spot mere miles from the Arctic circle and Russia."

Jason didn't want to leave, he was going to designate AJ and Johnny to go until Elizabeth came to him and said "Please, Jason. Bring them home. I will stay with Tom and Monica here."

"You might want have Monica with us, we might need medical help." said AJ.

"Then I am going, she is staying with grams and the boys." said Elizabeth.

"NO!" said Jason. "We are not taking you, I am not having you in danger."

"Jason, I get the feeling it is important for it not to be Monica. I can't explain, please trust me." she said reaching out for his arm.

"Eliz.." his voice trailed off, he could read her determination in her eyes and knew that nothing he could say would change her mind. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I, but I have another idea." she said. "Mac, how long will this take us?"

"A day and a half to fly there, a couple of days to get to the Island, just to be safe. Then the return trip to Italy, about the same."

"We aren't coming back. We go to Port Charles. I think it is time." Tom said. He knew Elizabeth was ready, this meeting had proved that. "I think Mom, Steven and Monica take the kids back to Port Charles while you are getting those we love back."

"May I ask why I am not going to Alaska, I am a doctor." Steven pointed out trying for reason.

"Steven, technically speaking you are also a cop." said Mac with a look at Morgan. "Go to Port Charles, start clearing out the debris. Trust me on this."

"You want to take my baby sister with you into danger. My sister who is the mother of two boys, instead of me?" he said emphasizing the boys.

"Yes." was all Elizabeth said "Steven, please. Grams is going to need your help. Monica, you do understand why, don't you?"

"Yes, I don't like it. I will just look at it as getting to spend some time with my grandsons." she said. "When are you all leaving?"

"As soon as I can arrange a flight." said Jason. "We will take you with us as far as Seattle, given the boys time with us." he said.

"Steven, do you know how to handle a gun?"

Seeing the heads turning, Mac said "We don't know where Jerry Jacks is, and who to trust. I want everyone to be prepared."

"Do you think he will go after the boys?" asked Audrey.

"He already did. The second kidnapping." said Elizabeth. "Plus, I don't trust Lucky or his family not to try something."

"He is no longer a cop, so she is right about Spencer, but Jason, what about some of your men?" asked Tom.

"There is no one I trust, not right now." he admitted. "At least not that I can get here that quickly."

"What about Francis?" asked Elizabeth.

"Dead, Sonny messed up a deal. Francis was caught in the crossfire." he said reaching for her hand.

"I need to make a call. Elizabeth, I think we need to send your father to Port Charles. That might shake things up a bit enough to cover them."

With a heavy sigh, she said "Fine."

Monica went to make a few calls, then returned. "I arranged for Ned to come home and Dillon will be joining him in a few days. Tom, what about Tommy?"

"College in Ireland." he said. "We need to get more people home."

Mac got off the phone and said "Taken care off. Frisco and Felicia are heading home as we speak. Robert is trying to locate Anna and I already asked Sean Donnally for support."

Johnny didn't know most of the names, but saw everyone else seemed to. "What next?"

"Guns." said a grim Mac. "Medical supplies and we might need to arrange an ambulance on standby. AJ, do you have any idea how many people?"

"Honestly, no." he said. "We came up with a possible list of people who died after Jerry came to town. We had Emily, Georgie, Leticia and some Cooper Barrett at the hands of Diego. Logan Hayes, Trevor Lansing, some nurse named Leyla Mir, and Claudia Zachara, but she didn't die until after I escaped."

"There is someone else." said Monica. "Your father."

Both of her sons turned to look at her, shocked to discover she was correct. "You're right, but I don't seen any reason he would grab dad."

"Yet you do for the others." said Johnny.

Nothing was said, as they all went to sort things out. Epiphany went with AJ to pick up the medical supplies while Elizabeth and Jason quickly dressed the boys telling them they were going on an airplane again.

As they quickly packed up, Elizabeth took a look around, then suffered through her brother and uncle checking her burns. When they both declared her well enough, she thanked Tom. "Are you going to stick around?"

"Yes, there are a few things that need to be straightened out in Port Charles. I had a long talk with Jeff a couple of days ago and he pointed out something that I am going to take care of while home."

AJ took Jason aside once they were on the plane, both brothers agreeing that his return should be kept quiet until they had a better read on Michael. "Are you sure you are okay with your family going home without you."

"No, I don't want them to do that, but Elizabeth is right about us needing her. We have no idea who we are going to find."

"Mom, will protect her grand-kids with her life." he reminded Jason.

"I am just afraid that might become necessary." replied Jason. "I don't know if Johnny's head is screwed on straight and we have too many loose cannons left loose running around there."

"So we stage our return. Get the truth out, tell them how things are going to be then we deal with them as they break the rules." said AJ. "No mercy."

"Agreed." said a grim Jason.

As the plane winged its way west, Elizabeth felt the warmth of Jason curling up around the boys and her. Taking a very small first step, she reached out and pulled his hand into hers.

!!*!!

When dawn broke in Port Charles, Patrick who had had a restless night with his wife gone to help her cousin, he hurried to work. He couldn't wait until Epiphany returned from her vacation, he hadn't noticed how much she had taken care of keeping things under control.

Seeing two men in suits waiting in his office, he said "May I help you gentlemen?"

"Yes, I am Edgar Dent, the new hospital administrator. I was told to report to you as soon as I arrived today." replied the older gentleman. "This is Mr. Pugh."

Holding out his hand, the younger man said "I am the new hospital attorney. We have much to discuss."

"I don't understand. When was Miss Steed removed and by whom?" he asked. "No one cleared it with me."

"The new owners move quickly. It might take some getting used to. Here, this is a copy of our orders." he said handing him the letter.

Patrick felt his eyes widen. No one turned away because of ability to pay, remodeled offices, a private nurses lounge, a real clinic down by the docks. Expanded daycare including an outside play area, and best of all a raise for the nurses. Opening the letter addressed to him, he leaned back in shock.

"Uh, thank you gentlemen, do you need me to show you to your offices?" Patrick felt like he had fallen down a rabbit hole as all his wants for the hospital had been met.

"No, we have already been there." replied Mr. Pugh.

Robin entered her husband's office and hugged him telling him about Maxie and the breakup. "She said she slept with Lucky. That it made her realize some things. I hate to say, most of it a little too late."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"She said she finally understood Elizabeth. That she ruined her life for nothing, but in true Maxie fashion said that Elizabeth was better off without Lucky and should never had taken him back. I have to tell you what Spinelli has been up to though."

"Why do I think I am not going to like this?" he said.

"He has been tiptoeing through the medical files for months." said Robin furious to see that Patrick didn't seem upset.

"Oh, I know. The new police commissioner and a technician from the WSB have been tracking him every since the night Elizabeth died. I asked your mother to arrange it." he said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she pouted.

Kissing what he considered to be an adorable pout away, he said "Because you had jumped on the crazy train of being Sam McCall's lead pimp. Then after you fell off I didn't get a chance."

"Sorry, temporary insanity. I have no excuse. I sat on Elizabeth's porch this morning. The new owners thought I was crazy. But after Maxie's confession, I just needed to feel close to her." she said. "I can't help wondering if she was alive what she would say about all of this. I miss her, I miss just having her next door."

Hugging his wife, he said "I have some news of my own. Nik sold the hospital."

"What?" she asked stunned. "How can he do that?"

"I don't know. I just received a letter from the corporation that owns us now, they said they will be sending an executive in two weeks. They already fired Sneed and my guess is Alexis. We have a new administrator and attorney."

"Wow, this can't be good." she replied. Taking the offered letter, she read it and saw the name.

Walking to the computer, she ran them and nothing came up. "They are a private corporation, that is all it says on their web page."

"Too bad things ended with Maxie, for once we could have used Spinelli's help." said Patrick.

"She said he is staying at Jake's. Why don't you go and ask him to look into it."

!!*!!

Sam was woken up by the sound of someone knocking at the door. Opening it, she saw Cody Paul standing there. "What do you want?"

"Jason wants you to visit, now." he said then walked away. When Sam arrived, she saw Carly leaving. Both women glared at one another, before Sam went in.

"I don't like seeing her here." she whined.

"Too bad, you know the deal. I want to hire you." Johnny was taking pleasure in screwing with their heads.

"For what?" she asked intrigued.

"Nothing too strenuous. Some research, without Spinelli please." he asked. "Maxie and he broke up after he found out she was sleeping with Lucky. He has already called me twenty times this morning alone. DONT GIVE HIM MY ADDRESS, GO IT?"

Moving to stand in front of him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss him, but he stopped her and said "Sorry, a little tired from last night."

Swearing, she left and went straight to the office. Making calls, she found herself getting nowhere. Going to her closet, she found the perfect outfit and went to make the rounds.

Johnny O'Brien called Jason's second in command, "Where is she?"

"The hotel. Michael is at the warehouse, like you asked. Do you want me to keep an eye on Carly or him?"

"Teach Michael paperwork, that ought to keep him bored enough. I will be in around noon." Johnny then hurried to Morgan's secret safe house and found the package waiting for him. Opening it, he swore when he figured out what it meant. All hell was going to be reigning down on Port Charles in a couple of days. He was under orders to arrange for all the principal players to be at the Metrocourt Hotel in a week.

Patrick entered the bar then asked Coleman where the geek was. Pointing with the ball point pen he was using to place his order with, he added quietly "Kid is losing it. Tossed his lap top down the stairs earlier after getting drunk last night. As soon as I reach Morgan, I want the little cretin out of here."

Looking at the bartender who had a cold expression on his set face, Patrick asked what is going on.

"Kid is talkative when drunk. Confessed to doing a lot of damage to his boss and Miss Webber. Things that poor woman didn't deserve. Morgan either gets him out, or I will call the cops, no matter the consequences." Coleman didn't like people messing with the women who came into his place and Elizabeth Webber had always treated him with respect in spite of knowing his past.

"Like what?" he asked dangerously.

Telling the doctor about forgetting to forward calls, taping calls between the two, tailing Morgan or Elizabeth to inform Sam where they were. "The worst. He faked some records about Jake Morgan. Yup, I said Morgan. Little shit and Morgan's pet whore are banned from here. He knew that Sam told that pill pusher you went to school with, Devlin about Jake being Morgan's. What the hell is he doing screwing the woman who hurt his kid?"

Patrick felt his hands shaking with rage when he thought about the past few months and calmed down. "I have got to go."

Spinelli saw the head doctor leave without a word and knew that his adored had to have told him what had happened. He had to convince his dream girl that it didn't matter. That he would forgive her mistake like his master had his soul mate.

Hearing high heels, Coleman looked up as Sam entered the bar. Walking from behind the counter, he approached and said "You need to leave. I don't want you in my place."

"Excuse me?" she asked. "Did you lose your mind?"

"No, maybe Morgan has. Or the blood rushed down to his balls and away from his brain. Either way, I don't give a shit. Get the hell out and take your pet with you."

"What?" she asked stunned.

"I know, I know what you did to poor Elizabeth Webber's sons and that your little freak over there covered it up. Tell Morgan he isn't welcome either. Now take him and get out." he said walking to the door. "NOW!"

Gathering a blubbering Spinelli, she said "I don't know what it is that you think you know..."

Sam was sure that Jason would kill him for talking to her like that and she couldn't wait for it to happen, he was nothing and was only allowed to live because Morgan and Corinthos let him.

"I know that your ass belongs in a jail cell or better yet under it. That Morgan needs to have his balls cut off and that your freaky friend needs his fingers cut off. Spinelli, a word to the wise, if you can't hold your tongue when drinking don't pick up a glass."

Slamming the door, Coleman knew he might have just destroyed his business but he had been saving for the last few years, well aware that the mob in Port Charles was on shaky ground.

Sam got Spinelli into the car, then drove to get them some coffee. "Okay, what did you tell him?"

"Nothing, I swear." said Spinelli as he tried to recall the previous night.

"Fine, get on that computer of yours, find out all you can about a man named Johnny O'Brien. He used to work for Jason." Sam didn't believe him but she needed his help right now. After words she would tell Jason so he could deal with the kid.

"I can't." he said his lower lip trembling. "My lap top exploded yesterday while talking to Jason. It just went pop. Then my spare went down the stairs this morning."

"Well, buy another." she said.

"I don't have any money." he said.

Sam swore and drove to the nearest computer store. Handing over her credit card, she was pissed to find out she was overdrawn. Taking out the cash, she paid the man then called Bernie. "I need my cards taken care of."

"I will take care of it when I get the time." he said. Which was never under Jason's orders. He then preceded to go back to draining all the money from his accounts and tucking them away in Italy just like he had been ordered. Sam's business credit card had been furnished by Jason, but the woman had tried to take advantage of his generosity and had been using it for personal items. Jason had been pissed about that since before his accident.

!!*!!

Carly saw Jax approaching with the kids. "Jax, I would like..."

"Only with the court ordered supervisor. Go away Carly."

"Morgan, come to Mommy." she said then flinched when her son moved closer to Jax. "Sweetie, Michael misses you."

Burying his head in Jax's arm, he whispered "Can we go now?"

Turning the stroller over to the Nanny/guard, Jax picked up the ten year old. "Carly, go away."

Once they were in the car, Jax held a crying Morgan and said "Are you okay?"

"No, Michael was right. She chose him over us. She always chooses him."

"No, that isn't what happened." said Jax. "Your Mommy is a little confused right now, that is all. She will get some help just like she did last time. I promise." He would make sure of it if he had to have her kidnapped and taken to an insane asylum.

Johnny arranged for Carly and Sam to meet at GH, hoping they showed themselves for who they were then went to see Sonny in prison. Here was the only person he was worried about figuring out the truth, but like usual his former boss was all about himself.

"When are you going to get me out of here? I need to see Olivia and try to fix things?" he asked as he paced back and forth. "They are keeping me drugged, so that I don't lose it, but if you don't do something. I am not going to survive."

"Sonny, I am working on it. But this new police commissioner went through and fired all of our people. No charges were filed because their witness refused to testify but we have no one on the inside." He knew that Raynor had gotten the information from Sam when she had made plans to leave town, too bad it had fit right into his current plans.

"Who was this insider?" he snapped. "I want them dead. They are costing me time to fix things."

"Sonny, I am bit a busy. You have no idea the damage you did to Michael, what the heck were you thinking?" he asked knowing that Sonny had to be expecting the attack.

"He isn't my son. He should have never have been." In Sonny's mind, Dante's death had to fall on Micheal's shoulders. It couldn't be his fault, he was a good father.

"You were the one who stole him away from me." he snapped knowing he wasn't pissed enough to fake that one but tried.

"Jason, I did what I thought was right. Carly was pregnant with my child, I just couldn't allow AJ to win." He said holding out his hands in supplication.

"Win? Is that what it was to you? Winning? What about it being about a boy needing a father?" he asked stunned in spite of not being Jason.

"That isn't what I am saying. AJ killed my child." he said self righteously.

"Oh my god. So it was a child for a child, just like he claimed." said Johnny sick to remember his part in this mess. "You should consider yourself lucky you are in here. If you want out, find another way. I am not lifting one finger to get you out."

The younger blond hid when he saw his Uncle leaving the prison before entering and asking to speak to his father. Sonny was expecting Morgan since his father had promised to bring him to visit, he wasn't happy to see Michael at first until the blond started to rant about Jason.

With a slight nod, Sonny decided his plan was perfect and it would allow him to take a small slice of revenge on the only one of his wives he had ever loved for betraying him.

"Michael, sit down. Be quiet." When the blond did so, he said "It was all a plan. Jason and I did this so that I can get out, but now your mother has convinced him to let me stay here to keep us apart. I thought if I disowned you they would relent."

Sonny's mind was racing, he had to come up with a plan. "I am going to get myself transferred to GH. I need your help getting out of here. Don't trust anyone. Okay?"

Nodding the blond left, sure in his father's love. If he had heard his father's telephone call hours later, he would have been furious. "Use the kid as a scapegoat."

!!*!!

Jason and Elizabeth had tucked the boys into bed at the hotel in Seattle. Sitting at the foot of the bed, they didn't notice the brown eyes of the boy pretending to sleep.

"I hate the time I lost with all of you." he said "My sons, they are growing up so fast. It kills me when they call me Jason."

"I am sorry, god so sorry about that Jason." she said feeling the tears start.

"Don't be. We will come out of this, we have to. I can't believe that we were forced to deal with so much pain only to lose each other." he said wiping the tear slowly painting her cheek. "I want a fresh start. We need to keep talking dealing with the pain of the past if we are going to try again."

"Let not use the word try, okay." she said. "You know, you are right. I was destroying you then, myself as well. I lived in pain. Maybe we just weren't ready yet."

"I think we were, we just had too many lies surrounding us. We don't have that anymore. No more Lucky and Carly obligations, no more shadows." he said.

"It won't be smooth sailing, but we have to be open, honest with one another. No more I will do whatever you want." she said to him. "We both decide together."

"I agree. I just hate to disappoint you." he said looking into her eyes.

"Jason, you have only ever done that by not making a decision when I asked. I know that I am going to have to make some changes as well. I just have one request. Let me face Lucky on my own. It's important for my recovery." she said.

"I will not interfere but I want to be in the building if not the room." he said. "Mainly for safety reasons."

Holding his hand, she said "No, I will have Johnny Zachara there. I don't think my uncle or my brother will scare him, but I think Johnny might." she agreed. Seeing his expression, she said "What?"

"It's just... I uh, ... well, I think he is developing a crush on you." he finally admitted. Seeing her laugh, he said "He is."

"No, he isn't. I think it is more like he trusts me, and I don't think he has a lot of people in his life he does trust. I think you and I are it." she said.

"He kidnapped our sons." he said.

"No, he actually took them to safety. I thought you were okay with this?" she asked leaning on the foot board.

"I was." he said. "Now I am not. I just think he needs a girl friend. One far far away from you."

With a chuckle, Elizabeth kissed his cheek, not ready to deal with anything more intimate. "You are worrying about nothing. Let's go get Georgie and who ever else is there, then we can worry about Johnny's love life, okay?"

Mac had been talking to AJ, the blond had been having headaches since they arrived. Seeing the couple entering he asked "Morgan, what are you going to do about your hair?"

"Nothing. At least until after we return home. Then if Elizabeth doesn't like it, it goes." He said looking at the woman he wanted a future with.

"I liked your hair when it was a bit longer before, but the blond is certainly a weird statement." she said looking at AJ. "Why that blond?"

"Revenge." he said. "Now Mom and Mrs. Hardy are sleeping. Epiphany arrived last night in Port Charles. You dad is should get there in the morning."

"Why are you happy about that?" asked Elizabeth.

"Oh, admiring what guilt and anger can do as a combination. Your Uncle Tom revved him up for a battle with Lucky and Nik."

"Great, just great." said Steven. "Dad has a lot of repressed anger at what went down with Elizabeth, we had better hope that neither Spencer nor Cassadine needs surgery, he won't use anesthetic.

!!*!!

Carly had had enough of Sam, she had just left GH where Sam had been bragging about the four rounds with Jason. She had heard the same thing the day before from the man himself when he claimed he was too tired. Lying she had told Sam, they had made liberal use of the kitchen and the shower.

Seeing her cousin's entering she asked "Well?"

"Maxie and Spinelli are at an end. Thanks for the funds." said Lucky as he picked up the money on the desk.

Lulu just sat down, she had no intention of helping Spinelli until he wanted revenge and came to her.

Ethan on the other hand, said "I took all of Sam's money away. She is over extended on her credit card and as to the true father... I think it might be your exes. She has visited Sonny repeatedly at Pentonville.

Wanting to say Sonny wouldn't go there again, Carly thought about it and knew he would. She would just pay a visit to the man and tell him that Johnny Zachara was Sam's baby's father. He would dismiss her then.

"Fine, Lulu, I have a need of Spinelli's services, can you find a way to have him research who this Siena Investments is that took over GH."

Agreeing, Lulu left and went to track down the geek. Seeing him sitting with Sam outside of Kelly's, she asked "Why aren't you inside?"

"Your aunt is in there and banned us." said Sam.

"I need your help, for Nik's sake. He had to sell GH, we were hoping you would look into it. After all, he is your cousin." she reminded Sam who cheered up. She had forgot that fact and now knew where she could stay.

Calling Nik, she soon got herself invited over along with Spinelli. The geek was doing the research for Lulu and his host. "Nothing."

"How is that possible?"

"Private corporation, owned by a holding company." replied Spinelli with a shrug.

"What about the investors, they have to be filed with the SEC, look there." said Nik seeing a way to get his money back.

"I did, it tracks to a British holding company, to an Italian Holding company, to an Egyptian holding company. Whoever this is, is good." he said. "Last address I found is for a company in Switzerland where those things aren't public."

Gritting his teeth, Nik said "Give me the names of the companies."

"Just variations on a theme after Siena. They all have some version of the word glass in them. Verre Rouge, in Switzerland. Rode glas in Dutch. Vetro Russo in Italian."

"A communist company?" asked Sam. Nik rolled his eyes, something was tickling the back of his mind and her stupidity ruined it.

"No." he snapped as it went away. Calling Alexis he asked "Red glass, does it mean anything to you?"

"No, why?" she asked while watching Kristina and Molly playing with Jax's two kids. Listening to his explanation, she said "I don't know it, but try your uncle's files. He kept very thorough records on those companies that were connected to your grandmother and various other businesses in town."

Nik hated to rely on Sam and Spinelli but he had no one else to help him. Leaving them to start work, he went to town and talked to Lucky. "You are right, it's familiar. But why would they want to destroy you?"

"I was thinking that it might be Jax. Could he think I am helping Carly?" asked Nik.

"No, it doesn't ring any bells." said Lucky as he went into Jake's.

"Spencer, turn around and exit. You are no longer welcome here." said Coleman.

"What?" asked Lucky stunned.

"You too, Cassadine. I am clearing out the riff raff and along with that whore of a cousin, her pet geek and his boss, you two plus your sister are banned. Now leave."

"You can't talk to me like that." drawled Nik.

"Really, from what I hear you barely have a pot to piss in. Makes you wonder, just who would want to take out the Spencers, the Cassadine's and the town mobsters."

Leaving Lucky said "There is no connection to all those groups. I mean Carly is to the mob and my family. Sam is to you and the mob. He is talking out of his ass."

Nik thought about it, and knew that the sleazy bartender was right. Going down the list, he couldn't find a common thread either. Deciding he needed to talk to Jason Morgan, he called and arranged a meeting.

"How did you know someone wanted to buy the hospital?" he demanded the minute he saw Jason.

"The bank you did business with, they do business with us. They said someone bought your mortgage." replied Johnny. "Why?"

"What enemy do the Spencers, you and I have in common." he asked.

Johnny his his smile and said "Well a better answer would be who have all three of us ruined. I can't think of anyone, but ask yourself. What bad behavior have you been up to lately?"

Nik thought about it on the shuttle ride home, then went to the study. "Who has Morgan pissed off lately?"

"What?" asked Spinelli. "My master has been in the deep sleep, it would have been Mr. Sir's doing.

"Whoever this is, they are after the mob, the Spencers and my family."

"The Zacharas. Johnny was behind the warehouse explosion." said Sam. "There is no one else. Things have been quiet."

"Maybe Jerry Jacks." mumbled Nik as he left the room never seeing the twosome behind him starting to panic.

"We need to find a scapegoat, quickly if it is Jerry. He has too much on us." stated Sam.

"But who?" Spinelli thought about it and knew it had to be someone no one would expect.

"How about.... well, he doesn't believe it is the Zachara's, what about.... I know ... Who can we use?"

"The only connection to all three I can find is Elizabeth Webber but do you really see Granny Webber getting the money to finance a company takeover." He said disdainfully.

"We could use the Quartermaines, as accomplices." she said. Then sighed and said "No, Tracy has been defanged by Luke's arrest and Edward is too old. Who else?"

"I have no idea. It's not like anyone would care that she died." said Spinelli who had a sense of dread, then dismissed it. Jason was here, happy with Sam and Carly. He wouldn't do that.

"True, but her brother works for the FBI and I owe him for helping Sonny take my little girl. Find out where he is. Lucky saw him in Colorado someplace."

Doing some checking, Spinelli said "You might actually be right."

"Don't act so surprised." she snapped then admitted she didn't know what he was talking about.

"Turns out the Webber's weren't poor or unknown. Did you know about Elizabeth's family?" he asked as he read the articles on the male doctors Webber. "Turns out they have money."

Calling out to Nik, Sam said "Does anyone in the Webber family know about your affair with Elizabeth?"

"No. why?"

Telling him their theory, she saw his smirk. "What?"

"Jeff Webber could care less about his daughter and Steven was more worried about his career. They don't have the power to do this." Nik knew that Liz's family had abandoned her years ago.

Meanwhile, Lucky had gone to do some reconnaissance at GH and saw his Aunt talking to a man who looked vaguely familiar. "They will be arriving this week. Turns out they had gone ahead to their vacation spot with Elizabeth's friend. Audrey and Steven are with them now along with the boys grandmother."

Lucky left, then called Nik to ask for his help. "My son is coming into town this week. I want to have Alexis file possession papers."

"Don't you mean custody?" Turning he saw Epiphany Johnson standing there. "You should back off before you get hurt, Mr. Spencer. You have a lot to lose."

"No, I am claiming my child, in spite of Elizabeth trying to run off with him. She nor her family doesn't have that mob attorney to hide behind anymore. And I have Alexis Davis on my side." He said with a smug grin.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." said Jeff Webber from where he stood. "Mr. Spencer, I have been looking for you. Here."

Taking the paper, Lucky glared at the words and crumpled them up. "That won't matter for long. You can't keep my son away from me. He belongs to me."

"His father is Jason Morgan. I am sure that you remember that." said Jeff. He was in on it and couldn't wait to meet the man who had screwed this whole plan up according to his brother.

Around town, people were getting nervous, things were happening and no one knew who to trust. Except two women, they both trusted only one man. The man who would never betray them. After all deep down, Jason loved them best.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12 Rescue and Destruction

_**Chapter 12:Rescue and destruction**_

Freedom comes at a cost

Jeff took the list out of his pocket and out of the corner of his eye watched the man following him. Deciding enough was enough, he called 911 and informed them he had a stalker.

When Harper arrived, he found Lucky following the man and walked over to his old partner. "I don't want to know why you are doing this, but stop. Go home,"

"He knows where my son is, I won't let him get away with keeping him away from me." snapped Lucky.

"Officer, if he doesn't stop, I will insist on you arresting him." said Jeff. "As for the boy, here. I have legal papers."

Harper read the blue backed papers and turned with sympathy to the former detective. "Lucky, I get it, it is hard to face it when those you love are lost to you, but stop. Jacob isn't yours, and if you continue we will have to arrest you. Is that what you want?"

Turning to Jeff, Lucky said "You are not going to keep my son, I won't allow it. All you want is the money that Morgan left to Jake."

"Sorry, there is no money. Elizabeth gave it back the day of the explosion." Jeff replied cheerfully.

Harper saw how gobsmacked Lucky looked and gave a sigh. When the man protested that Jeff was lying, he said "Lucky, not another word, You are on probation as it is, don't make me arrest you. You will be facing prison time."

Stomping away, Lucky decided to find that geek Spinelli and have him do something about this. He could track them through the camera's all over the city for him. Arriving at the house on Spoon Island, he found Carly and Sam shrieking at each other at the top of their lungs.

"What the hell is the problem?" he asked.

"That bitch is helping Jax." said Carly. Walking to the door, she added "Don't think I won't tell Jason."

"Go right ahead, Carly." When the woman had left, Sam asked Lucky "What do you want?"

"To talk to Spinelli." Looking at the geek he said "I want to hire you."

"I would never work for you, you snake in the grass, you adulterer, you knave." said the geek. "I won't take your dirty money that you got for wrecking the love between my lady and I."

"Okay, fine." With that Lucky stormed out, but Nik stopped in the door. Telling him what the others had found, he said "Sounds more like Morgan, just how sure are you about him, Sam?"

"What do you mean?" asked Nik.

"Red Glass, Elizabeth had a piece of red glass in her memory box. He also has the money and the connections to ruin you, Nik. But why would he when he never gave to thoughts to Elizabeth beyond her lies?" asked Lucky while Sam shifted where she stood, she knew that answer but would gain nothing by revealing the truth and could lose her free squat if she opened her mouth.

"Morgan, isn't this sophisticated when it comes to business, these aren't thug tactics more like a master tactician." said Nik.

Lucky left, heading back to shore, knowing he had to track down his son on his own. Stopping in at his Aunt's, hoping to get some information since she had been talking to the man, he got an earful about Maxie instead from her mother.

Felicia only told Bobbie that Mac had asked her to stop in town with Frisco that it involved the girls. "Girls?" asked the red head. "I wonder what is up with Robin?"

"I don't know but Robert and Anna are joining us as well." she replied. "I have a few things to do, including tracking down my daughter."

Johnny saw Maxie sitting on the dock, and walked up. Not saying a word, he waited to see if she would speak to him. "Hey, I need to talk to you."

"If this is about Spinelli..."

"No, see I slept with Lucky the other night. I think I did it on purpose. I wanted to end things, but didn't know how. It was awkward. After we were done, I took a walk, something I haven't done since the day I got my driving permit. I walked home from the Spencer house to mine."

"And I care?" he asked.

With a sad sigh, she said "See when I left the house, I had my week planned. End things with Spinelli, deal with my screwed up head and help Sam win you back. Then what Lucky said hit me and I finally got it around Oak Street. Elizabeth truly wasn't lying to me, Lucky had been. Sam told me that you two slept together and the condom broke; I now know that was not you."

"I said that from the beginning, that I couldn't be the father." he said. "Why do you care?"

"I shouldn't. I mean I never got why I was so upset about Elizabeth being with you, I mean that freed Lucky up to be with me. But he wasn't with me and I didn't care anymore. Sam was sort of my friend, but I know what kind of person she is. So why did I help her?"

"And the answer is?" he asked.

"I don't know. See I talked to Spinelli that night. You don't love Sam, my guess is you never did, not like a certain annoying brunette. Yet you are sleeping with her. You hate yourself don't you?" she asked looking at him.

Seeing his eyes, she said "You do, then why are you doing it and this mess with Carly as well?"

"Sometimes to keep us from chasing after what we want, we need something, a barrier in the way." he said.

With a sad snort, she said "Poor deluded Sam, she thinks it is true love, Spinelli as well."

"Maybe it is for them. Maybe given enough time, they will figure out they are the great love of one another lives." he said.

"Cold, Jason. Even for you." she said while giggling. "I AM sitting here, because I don't know what to do with myself. I mean who am I? I have no idea, not any more. Yet, I don't want to be the old me at but I don't want to lose the good parts."

"Make a list, separate the good from the bad, then work on improving the one and deleting the other." he said. "It's not hard, just time consuming."

Seeing Alexis arriving at the shuttle, Johnny stopped her and said "Spencer is the father of Sam's kid."

"That isn't good news. I would almost prefer Sonny." she said with a sigh. "What is going on, 'Jason'?"

"Nothing." he said.

"Don't mess with me, I get the feeling that you know exactly what is happening in this town." she said.

"Just accept the invitation, you will learn the truth then." he said.

!!*!!

Monica and Audrey had decided to give in to Johnny's suggestion of taking the Amtrak, the boys were loving it and they wouldn't arrive in PC before the rest of them.

Steven entered the car with the boys snacks and found himself mobbed for the strawberry milk. Looking out the window he said "We should be in California by now."

"I wonder if they are on the boat to this Island?" said Monica.

Jason and Elizabeth were walking over the wooden footbridge, then past the library before arriving at the music store named for Ben Franklin. Following the trail, they saw the cemetery then the small hotel with fifty rooms each one decorated by state.

"Okay, what is next?" she asked.

"Chinese restaurant." he pointed out.

"What about the waterfall, down there." she said.

"And that would be the dam." He said. Taking out the binoculars, he saw the Island in the distance. "Take a look."

Elizabeth said, "Well now we know why it is called Bird Island. We have to go get everyone."

"We can't do anything until night time." he reminded her. "Lets stop at that coffee shop back by the Music store."

With a smile she said "Okay, do you think we can call and check on the boys?"

"Sure, I was surprised you hadn't done so already." he said as they retraced their steps.

Just outside of the shop, Elizabeth said with a grin. "My phone is in Port Charles and I am sure they turned it off since dead people don't make phone calls."

Startled, Jason then got she was teasing. Pulling out his phone, he said "Press One."

As they took turns holding the phone to their ears talking to the boys and Audrey, they never saw the waitresses talking and money passing hands. Finally the older one came over and said "Settle a bet for us. Married with children or not?"

Before Jason could answer, Elizabeth grinned then said "With, two boys. They are on a trip with both of their grandmothers."

Jason felt his heart clench in awe of that being true, then said "We had better head back."

After paying off her friend, the blond sighed. Too bad her husband didn't look at her like that.

!!*!!

Jeff made a point of meeting with Diane and Alexis, then informed them that if Lucky pushes things, he is going to press to have him committed.

"Jeff, Lucky isn't crazy, greedy, selfish and a moron, yes. But those aren't reasons to lock someone up, otherwise you would have to lock up most of the town."

"No, but his previous brain damage added to his drug addiction might be." he said. "He has a family history of mental instability as well."

"Yes, but he can claim Laura's past was behind her..."

"No, Miss Davis, try we can go back all the way to her biological father. See Laura was my brother's step daughter, Lesley knows that I am aware of the truth. Her entire family line is suspect."

Taking the offered file, Alexis grimaced at what she read. "Crap, I have to tell Nik about this, if you would let me."

"I won't." he said. "Your nephew is an SOB, Dr. Winters and I talked yesterday. Turns out she told him she suspected Elizabeth was suffering from PTSD, as a result of everything that had happened in the last few years. Instead of getting his friend help, he initiated an affair, knowing she was spinning out of control."

"You must be wrong, Nik would never..." Alexis thought about Johnny O'Brien and that the real Jason was out there, and more than likely furious. "Oh my god, he did. He took advantage..."

Seeing her shock, Jeff handed her a bottle of water from the shelf behind him. "Yes, he did. Dr. Winters warned him, wanting to prevent Elizabeth from marrying Lucky while she was sick, your nephew knew that hyper-sexual activity and lack of normal actions were part of the symptoms. He put himself into her life, I have no proof, but I would bet that some part of it involved pushing Lucky knowing Elizabeth would panic and do something to ruin things."

"Ruin things?" asked Diane.

"My daughter had a hard time saying no to Spencer out of guilt for the past, her sense of obligation to him. With the way her mind was working an affair with his brother was a way of breaking this so called permanent lock."

Alexis felt her hands tremble, if Jason was angry about Elizabeth's death... then had gone after Nik, what would the real Jason do to Sam. She finally got what was going to be happening at the Metrocourt.

Recalling that Carly was his co-host, she couldn't help thinking back to her visit to Johnny. "OH MY GOD."

Diane got it, she had been there through most of it, she knew that Jason had loved Elizabeth with everything in him. "Scorched earth policy."

"Yes." was all Jeff said. "Now, I am just here to make sure things go smoothly. Alexis, I understand you know that Sam is your daughter, that you ran tests."

"She is a Cassadine." she said with a sigh.

"But she isn't yours." he said silkily. "Try your cousin Stefan's."

Her head came up, shocked. "But-"

"Yup. She isn't yours. Those oh so secret tests, weren't so secret. We have proof that Damien Spinelli altered the tests, giving Sam what he thinks she wants. The same thing he did with the fake tests on file in regards to Jake."

Diane closed her eyes, knowing that Alexis wasn't going to take this well. "And my real child?"

"I don't have a clue, I only know about the woman who thinks she is your child." he said shrugging his shoulders. "This Spinelli has a lot to answer for. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go and rent an apartment."

"I thought you weren't staying in town?" asked Diane. She had been admiring the handsome middle-aged man and had asked.

"I'm not, my son is though." he replied. "Miss Davis, good luck with your younger daughters, but a word of advice, never take them for granted."

Getting the underlying message, Alexis went home and asked the girls if they were ready to pick out a Christmas tree?

"Can we cut one down today?" asked an excited Molly.

"Uh, I think we need someone with a saw." she said regretfully. Then thinking on it, made a call. "Detective Harper, I know you are looking for ways to earn a little extra money for the holidays. I don't suppose you own a saw and are free this afternoon?"

When she nodded, both of her excited girls rushed off to get dressed in appropriate warm weather gear. Hearing a knock on her door, she saw Nik and Sam waiting. "Make it quick, we are going to get our tree."

"Maybe Spencer could go with you." suggested Nik.

"No, this is just the Davis women. What can I do for the two of you?"

Explaining their theory, they never saw Alexis tense then pretend to relax. "Wrong, I hate to say it, but Nik is right. As for Elizabeth's family, you couldn't be further from the truth, Sam."

"How would you know. Elizabeth had red glass." she stated.

"Yes, but do you really think that the Webber's would name a company after glass that Jason Morgan gave her. From what I recall, he bought it in Italy. This was when he left the second time. I can still recall how they greeted each other the day he returned. It was beautiful to see young love reunited." She said wistfully, but knowing the affect it would have on both of them.

Sam snapped her jaw tight to keep from making a response but Nik said "That was right before he took up with his sister-in-law, Courtney, so how love could they have been."

Alexis never heard the sound of the footsteps, but was amazed to hear Tracy Quartermaine snap. "We you should know, didn't you take up with the same blond while claiming to love my niece or was your love for Emily a lie too?"

Nik glared at the woman, then said "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to speak to your Aunt on a legal matter." she said haughtily. "So you need to leave."

When the two had left, Sam and Nik were both pissed, but Nik was getting the idea that maybe Morgan had someone advising him on how to take down his company. Someone like Edward or Jax. Deciding to pay a visit to both men, he told Sam he was sure his Aunt was right.

"Oh please, my mother hasn't been right in anything for a very long time." she said heading back to the Island.

"Tracy, I am busy." she said.

"Good, because I lied. I just came to give you a message. Monica needs you to call her, immediately. And a word of the local gossip. Your daughter, Spinelli, Nik, Lucky and Jason Morgan were banned from Jake's today. Do you know why?"

"I have my suspicions." she said with a sigh. "Look, we are going to get our tree, so if you will excuse us."

The two girls came down the stairs as the truck pulled up. Seeing David Harper, they asked if he was coming with them. "Yes, while I would trust your mother with any legal brief I needed, the idea of her in the woods with a saw, is scary."

Meanwhile, Cameron was getting restless so Monica proposed they get off the train for the day in Salt Lake City. After a visit to the Hogle Zoo and the Museum of Natural History with a visit to McDonalds in between, they were soon back on the train.

Monica had been looking forward to creating memories with the boys, and this was turning out better than she expected. She couldn't wait until they were older and she could take them to the bigger zoo's and to the various spots she had taken her own boys.

Audrey just enjoyed the time, with Steven there to chase after the boys, and Monica to help keep up with them, it hadn't tired her out like it normally would have. When they had picked up reminders of their day in the city, she had been happy when without prompting, Cam had suggested getting Jason souvenirs along with Elizabeth.

Once back on the train, Monica took Cam to the day car while Audrey got Jake to lie down for a name. "Monica, are you our grandma too?"

Not sure how to answer, she asked why he wanted to know. When he repeated his version of the conversation between Jason and Elizabeth, she made plans to call the couple only to reach their voice mail. When they had talked earlier, she knew they were heading out but had hoped to reach them first.

"Tomorrow, we will talk to your parents, but yes, I am your grandma too."

"Good, now can I tell Jake?" he asked excitedly.

"Let's let your little brother sleep. But for now, why don't you tell me all about what you want for Christmas." she said "In fact, why don't we write a letter to Santa."

"Okay." he said then sat down next to her. As she spelled out the words for him, she couldn't help ruffling his hair when he looked up at her and grinned.

!!*!!

Johnny sat quietly on the boat as they slowly floated out to the Island. His mind couldn't get over his conversation with Olivia and then Lulu. The first had been short and final. He was glad, he had been looking for something, anything to hold onto after realizing his mistake with Lulu and Olivia had been great for that.

He had offered his condolences on Dante, feeling awkward about the whole thing. She had just cried, then said. "Sonny killed his own son, I just don't... the world you and he inhabit, I stayed away for so long. This was my fault. I should have told my son years ago who his father was. But I was scared of Sonny. I guess I was right to be. Who I was in Port Charles, that wasn't the real me. And I am sorry I dragged you into it."

With a sad laugh, he said "I get that, trust me this time away, pointed out a few things for me. I was searching for something I tossed away years ago. You, though, you might not believe it, were good for me. It made me face a few things about myself."

"Care to share?" she asked sitting down next to Kate and resting her head on the back of the sofa.

"That I do deserve to be happy. I think I can finally find peace."

"What about that girl, the one you talked about." she asked.

"No, she is living a happy life someplace. Besides, I never knew her name or even what she looked like. She could sit down next to me and I would never know her. That's good, though."

"Why?" she asked. "My one regret, is that Dante never found true love. Never had the chance. You have to know of a way to chase her down, don't give it up."

"I am going to move on." he said watching Jason and Elizabeth entering the restaurant. "I have an idea of what I am looking for, now I just have to find the girl."

"Good luck." she said then hung up. Turning to Kate, she said "It's time to move on. So where are we going?"

"I was thinking Paris." she said. "You can run my offices there. We only have to return for the lawsuit you brought."

As his mind skipped to around, Johnny winced thinking about his quick call to Lulu. He had wanted to believe that his past with her hadn't been based on lies, that she wasn't that way. But instead during that quick call, he had mentioned something that made him realize Elizabeth was right about her.

"What are you thinking on so hard?" asked AJ. "Are you worried about what is on the Island?"

"No, just. I talked to Olivia, the woman I mentioned earlier, then to Lulu. I guess..." he trailed off.

"You wanted to believe she wouldn't lie to you. That she wasn't that kind of person." he said knowingly. "Been there, done that. First with Carly then with Courtney. With Carly I knew she was trouble, I just thought I was sober enough to handle it. With Courtney, I wanted to believe she was the opposite of her brother. Instead she was worse."

"What do you mean?" he asked having known Sonny and heard about his and AJ's contentious relationship.

"Sonny, whatever else I have to say about the man, at least knew work would be involved in getting out of the gutter. He lied, stole and used others, but he did work at it. With Courtney, she wanted to take the easy way. She believed her looks would get her out, they did but then I lost everything and she moved on to the next rich man."

"Your brother." said Johnny.

"Yes, but the only reason that mattered was that Sonny knew that I would be competitive with Jason. For Courtney, it was about how my brother looked, the fact he had power and a girl friend. She liked the idea of making herself feel better by hurting women. What she didn't get until afterwords was that she got Jason's body, but not his mind or soul. They were still wrapped up with Elizabeth."

Looking at the couple standing quietly at the stern of the boat, Johnny said "They are it for each other. It's why they self-destructed without one another."

"You're right. The good thing is that they have finally figured that out, the bad thing is that when we return to Port Charles, there is going to be a firestorm of objections. I only hope they are strong enough to withstand the heat." he said.

Seeing the Island getting closer, Johnny checked the equipment and said "Sensors ahead, we need to travel around to the left."

Wincing at going further out into the ocean, Mac turned the boat that way. "Tell me when."

"Okay, along that inlet." he said looking up at the cliff. "How are we going to get up that?"

"Maybe we should take the cave." said Mac. "Remember what I said about them mining here. That leads to the main house, all of them do. They didn't want anyone using them to steal gold from the mines."

Bundled up, Jason stopped Elizabeth and handed her the gun. "I know you know how to shoot this. Are you sure about having it, after what happened?"

"Jason." She looked at him and knew she had to clarify something. "Shooting and killing the man who got in wasn't what triggered the PTSD, it was the abandonment. Don't you get that, yet?"

"I know, I just... Elizabeth, taking a life isn't easy." he said gently.

"I know." she retorted. "Jase, losing you, was worse. No matter what the cause. Like you said about my dying, I feel the same way about you."

Gingerly pulling her in, Jason kissed her on the lips quickly then retreated. "Okay, let's do this. Mac, do you want to take the lead since you know where you are going."

"He might, but I don't think he should." said Johnny. "I should. Of all of you, I have the least to lose."

"Don't think like that." warned Mac. "We stay together until we get inside. There are only four bedrooms upstairs and two down. A living room, a dining room and a kitchen. There is a study and a laundry but that is all."

Hoisting the medical equipment, AJ nodded at Jason and said "I remember being here. Whoever is here, is on the second floor."

Entering the very quiet house, Elizabeth cringed at every footstep worried about loose floorboards and creaking steps. As they tried each door, they found no one on the first floor and the first door on the second was unlocked.

Jason found the next door to be locked and silently picked the lock. Opening it, he froze at what he saw. His father was lying in the bed, looking sallow. "Elizabeth.

Moving in, she quickly took the medical equipment bag and started to check on him. "AJ, get me out the small defibrillator."

Taking it out, he handed it to her and she said "Now everyone clear."

Shocking her son's grandfather, she was relieved to see he had a pulse again. "Jason, we need to get him to a hospital quick."

"AJ, stay with Elizabeth. Jason, I need you." whispered Mac. "Two more locked doors."

Picking the next lock, Jason and company found no one inside but the clothes were of a young woman. "AJ said the first room was his. That only leaves one room."

Praying he wasn't too late to rescue his daughter, Mac stood impatiently by the door while Jason got it open. Seeing the form on the bed, he thanked god and went over to wake whoever was there only to find pillows and clothes.

"I am going back to Elizabeth and AJ. Johnny, you and Mac search the rooms again. We have to have missed something." snapped Jason. Mac was in shock, he had gotten his hopes up of seeing his little girl again.

Numbly he followed the young Italian as they went down the stairs and searched each room. Johnny sighed when he saw Mac standing at the mantle staring at a picture of the Jacks' family.

Moving by himself to the last room, he entered the laundry and saw there was no place for anyone to hide and started back. He had entered the kitchen and was moving towards the dining room when he felt a gun nozzle being held firmly to his neck.

"Where is your boat?" said the voice.

"What? No thanks for the rescue?" he asked. "Uh, could you put that down before someone, and by someone I mean me get's hurt?"

"Answer the question. See someone is going to die tonight, so if you don't want it to be you, tell me where your boat is?"

"Uh, look. I think you have the wrong idea. I am here to rescue you. My name is John Zachara, I am here with your dad and Jason Morgan."

"I don't think so. See, I know your sister was working with Jerry, that man likes to brag." she said removing the safety from the 9mm and repeating her question.

"Look, let me call out for Morgan, he is here with Elizabeth."

"Do you take me for a fool, I know Elizabeth Webber is dead. Killed in a warehouse explosion. Jerry actually felt bad about it. Seems he likes her." she said "Don't you dare call out, I won't hesitate to shoot."

Trying to find a way out of this without hurting the woman with the gun, Johnny couldn't help smiling a little.

"What is so funny?" she snapped. "You are the one being held at gunpoint."

"I just, your sister or Lulu would be shaking in their boots or calling for help by now. You intrigue me. Why don't you tell me how you ended up here."

Johnny felt the gun lift and was starting to relax until he realized she had a silencer on the weapon and had just shot the front cushion on one of the bar stools. "Next one hits your torso." she said.

Starting to get that she wasn't going to ease up, he said "Look, Georgie, I am telling you the truth. I am here with Morgan."

Jason thought he heard something, looking at Elizabeth and AJ he said "Stay here."

Walking down the stairs, he found Mac transfixed on the picture and went to find Johnny. What he saw would have been amusing if it hadn't been so serious. The younger man's gun was on the ground and he was holding his hands out away from his body while Georgie Jones was holding a gun on him.

Worried that if he startled the young woman, she would shoot Johnny, he backed up and went to get Mac. "Mac, snap out of it. Georgie has Johnny at gun point."

Rapidly blinking as he processed what Jason was saying he said the first thing that popped into his brain. "Where did Georgie get a gun?"

"We can worry about that later, she has already fired one shot."

"Where did she shoot him?" he asked quietly.

"She didn't hit him, just the counter." replied Jason as they moved down the hallway.

"Then she must have been aiming for the counter, Georgie is a pretty good shot." said Mac with pride.

"Can you be proud later, we have to stop her before she kills someone trying to rescue her." snapped Jason.

Upstairs, Elizabeth was checking Alan's pulse again, and gave a sigh of relief. "He is doing fine. But he needs a hospital." she said.

AJ was looking at his watch and said. "We have to head out in an hour so we can return with the tides. I hope Jason remembers that, just keep dad stable until we can get him back to the mainland. What can I do?"

"T-tell, tell me about my grandbaby." said the hoarse sounding man lying on the bed. "Tell me about Jake."

AJ felt the tears in his eyes and saw the same in Elizabeth's. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Well, Emily gave us some information and Georgie more, but what is he doing now?" said the man growing stronger.

"He, uh, Cameron and he are traveling with Monica and Audrey on a trip home." she said not wanting to give too much away in case Jerry had the place bugged.

"What is his favorite thing to eat or does he like cookies like Cameron does?" he got out.

"No, he is more of a chocolate sort of kid." said Elizabeth. "Dr. Quartermaine, where is Emily?"

Seeing the sad expression on his face, Elizabeth found herself losing her best friend yet again when he said "AJ? Jerry was telling the truth, he made you forget, didn't he. Then Georgie and Emily's idea worked. Thank god."

"Dad, Em?" he asked.

"You left to find help. She died two days later. We had nothing we could do for her. The cancer was too strong and too quick." he said.

Elizabeth felt her hands shaking as the guilt for what happened with Nik ate at her. "Don't cry, Elizabeth. Trust me, she wouldn't want that. All her last days were of talking about the great future Jason and you were going to have. She made us promise to tell you not to burden any little girls with her name. She was accepting of death, when she died." said the man in the bed.

AJ turned her head into his shoulder, letting her hide the sobs. He had a good idea what she was feeling and knew that only time would cure this. Time and his brother. "Where is Jason?"

"Your brother is here?" asked Alan. "Tell him to get all of you away. I don't think I am going to make it."

Downstairs, Johnny felt his arms getting tired. "Look, just call out Jason's name or your dads. Please? For me?"

Looking sideways at him, Georgie said "Will you please shut up unless you are going to tell me where your boat is?"

"I'm impressed, polite even when threatening someone. Your dad would be so proud." he said annoyed now.

"I am." said Mac when he saw Georgie's finger wasn't on the trigger.

"Daddy?" she asked standing stunned. Then it seemed to hit her that this was real and the DADDY became a shout as she pushed Johnny out of the way. Falling into the wall, Johnny just shook his head while laughing.

Jason let the reunion continue for a few minutes then said "I am sorry to cut this short, but we have to get moving. Georgie do you know where Jerry is?"

Not leaving the safety of her father, she said "He brought over food for the winter again and the guard."

"Where is the guard?" asked Mac. "We haven't seen anyone."

Looking down at the linoleum flooring, she said "I knocked him out and tied him up. He is in the old barn."

"Why there?" asked Johnny who saw her shiver.

"I don't want to talk about it." she said tensing.

"We need to get back to Alan and Elizabeth." said Mac thinking his daughter might need to be checked out.

Moving back to the small room, Alan looked at Georgie and said "Looks like you won't have to make that boat trip by yourself after all."

Jason saw Elizabeth's tears and AJ's set face and said "What is it?"

"Emily." was all his brother said.

"What about Emily?" he asked. "Is she here?"

"She was. She didn't make it. The cancer came back and without treatment... Jerry took her body away. I saw him put it in the boat." said Georgie wiping away the tears.

Swearing he would make Jerry Jacks pay, Jason started to find a way to get Alan to the boat. "We have a portable stretcher."

Alan grumbled that he could walk out on his own steam only for Elizabeth to point out she was in charge of his medical care and he would do what she said. "Bossy boots." he complained while sighing as they bundled him up.

Johnny pulled Georgie off to the side and said "Where is this barn?"

Giving him directions, she went to get into the warm clothes that Elizabeth offered her. "I guessed on the sizes."

Putting them on, joyous at the idea of getting away, she laughed when she returned at how loose the outfit was. "Did you think I was fat?"

"No, but I had a limited choice." said Elizabeth as they packed up the medical supplies.

As they slowly made their escape, Johnny returned and nodded at Mac. About ten miles away, they all turned as the Island exploded.

"The man in the barn?" asked Mac.

"Dead. And not by Georgie." he said. He had seen what the guard had intended and had no feelings of guilt about killing the would be rapist.

Once in town, Alan refused to let them have him admitted, pointing out that a local hospital was the first place Jerry would look. "What do I need to get?" Jason asked Elizabeth.

Giving him a list, he quickly went to gather the items while the others moved to the small airport. Strapping themselves in, Jason returned with the equipment and the well paid bush pilot took off to Juneau.

!!*!!

As they transferred to a taxi in Chicago, Monica felt her phone buzz. Reading the text message, she closed her eyes in gratitude. "They are safe. Will meet us in two day in Port Charles.

"Good, we should arrive just before they do." said Steven as they went to the hotel so the boys could have another day of freedom before catching their next train to Syracuse.

"Did they say who they found?" asked Steven.

"No, they just said they would meet us at the hospital." she replied.

Back in Port Charles, things were starting to unravel. Jax had gotten the photos of Jason with Carly and had called Carly over. Tossing copies down, he said "Sigh off on custody or these go public."

Calmly and coolly, she said "Do you really think that Jason will allow you to do this. I don't think so. So enjoy your victory. Next Monday, my children will be home with me."

"Here, take a copy, keep them for your scrapbook." he said. Then once she was gone, he listened to the audio on the television again. He didn't know what was going on, but he did know one thing. Whoever that was, it wasn't Jason Morgan.

"Mr. Jacks. Your mother is on line one." said his assistant. "and Miss Jones is here wanting a word with you."

"Tell her to have Kate contact me directly." he said then went to talk to his mother. "Lady Jane, what is it?"

"There was an explosion on Bird Island, the police said it leveled the place. Jerry has been spending time there and I can't locate him on his phone. What is going on Jasper?"

Shocked, he said "I will have someone track down Jerry."

"No, please. I need you to find your brother, he would do it for you." she said sobbing.

"I can't." he relied. "I have Morgan and Jocelyn to take care of. Mother, for once I have to take care of my own stuff before heading off to save my brother."

Hanging up in tears, convinced her eldest was dead, Jane realized that Jasper wasn't going to be the one to help his big brother. Thinking on the phone Jerry had left there, he went to call the woman he said was his girlfriend.

"Hello." was the reply.

"Miss, you don't know me, but I am Jerry's mother. He told me you two were seeing each other, I need you help. I think he is dead."

Sam was doing a happy dance on the other end, but played the sympathetic girlfriend. As soon as she had gotten the old lady off the phone, she called Spinelli and said "Put it all on Jerry, he is dead."

"Are you sure Goddess?" he replied looking at the file he had acquired on Elizabeth Webber and her family. He regretted not doing so before as he got that things weren't as he had thought.

"Yes, he is dead. We can come out of hiding. I have to track down, Jason." she said excited. "WAIT! Isn't tonight the party at the Metrocourt. Get dressed, we can see him there."

Carly was soon in her gown and left a message for Michael. "When you get this, come to the hotel, I have good news."

Meeting Jason at the entrance, she couldn't help feeling he was acting a little distant but put that down to how much he loathed parties.

Johnny saw that everyone on his list had come including Robin Scorpio and her husband who were going to be playing a very big part in his plan.

The police commissioner swore and said "Are you sure?"

"Yes. The only prisoner missing is Sonny Corinthos." replied the warden. "It was a set up. Do you think he will show up in town or head out right away?"

The Commissioner didn't know, but did want to have his men blanket the party at the Metrocourt. There was always a chance that Corinthos was as dumb as he thought the man was.

The two men got into the vehicle and Sonny quickly got out of the orange jumpsuit. Driving away, he asked Michael to check the glove box. Seeing the money, he gave a quiet chuckle. So far his partner hadn't betrayed him. All he had wanted in exchange for Sonny's freedom was Sam McCall and his former partner dead.

Looking sideways, he saw Michael dressed in the tuxedo and said "Did you find the gun?"

"Yes, are you sure that you trust me with this? I just can't believe Jason would betray you." Michael just didn't believe that his uncle would go that far.

"I told you, he is angry about Elizabeth's death. Mainly because it means his son is gone. He could care less about her, but he wanted Jake. Why do you think he started to abandon you?"

Michael felt his teeth gritting. Feeling his phone buzz again, he listened to his mother's message. "Uncle Jason is at this party Mom is throwing, I will get him off to the balcony and take care of things."

"Just do what I told you. Then meet me at my old strip club." he said not planning on being there.

Michael entered the party and saw his mother arguing with Sam McCall. Shaking his head in embarrassment, he saw several guests including his grandmother looking at him.

Sneering, he walked to the edges, certain he would find Uncle Jason there. Instead he overheard Jax talking to Nik Cassadine. "I still think it was Jason."

"No, I mean, maybe your Island in revenge for Jerry, but he doesn't have the ability to take out my company like that."

Not caring, he quickly moved past them to see Lucky confronting an older man about Jake. "Where is my son?"

"Don't you mean Morgan's son? Jake is safe, why don't you do some soul searching and find out what it is you want in life. If you don't, I am going to have the police arrest you." said Jeff.

In one day his family was going to be coming home to this mess and all Jeff could do is mark time like requested. Seeing Jason talking to Alexis Davis, he moved back inside going to find the nurse who seemed to have been friends with his daughter.

"This is Robin and Patrick Drake." said Epiphany.

"Noah's son?" asked Jeff. "Did you follow your father into brain surgery?"

Meanwhile, Sam had slipped past an irate Carly and saw Jason sliding out onto the balcony. Following, she had to skirt several drunk male guests who were interested in the exposed wares.

Finally arriving onto the stone balcony thanks to Spinelli blundering around in front of her, she stopped several feet away when she saw Jason talking to her mother.

Whatever the discussion, it seemed intense to both Spinelli and her, as they smiled thinking he was finally coming to his senses.

Johnny leaned in and said "No, I know nothing about an island exploding, but Alexis, Sonny escaped today. I was a bit busy."

"Please tell me your new partner didn't help with that?" she asked annoyed.

"No, he wants him locked up." he replied unknowingly confirming to Michael the story his father told him. He had hoped to talk to his Uncle, sure that something had to be wrong. Instead he went back inside making plans for his escape for later.

"When this wraps up, what is next for you?" she asked. "I miss my friend."

With a soft chuckle, Johnny said "Well, you did say you were attracted to the real me. Maybe I should go back to that, but first."

Leaning in he kissed her, only to find she hadn't reacted. "Uh, lips moving, helps."

"You were sleeping with my daughter." she whispered then had a thought. "Wait, that's right, you weren't. But this is only for old time's sake. I am not inter--"

The second kiss caused Sam to screech to the heavens and pass out into Spinelli's waiting arms. As she hit the deck since he couldn't hold her, the geek shouted for help.

In the confusion, Jason moved inside worried that his plan was shot, only to see Michael standing there holding a gun on him.

"You lied." he told the man who had raised him for the first year of his life. "You said I would always come first. Then you betrayed me, you betrayed my dad."

"Kid, I never promised you a thing, as for your dad, I never did anything to AJ. Sonny on the other hand, got everything he deserved. I want to be there when the bullet hits his heart or the chemicals from the lethal injection kill him. I don't care which happens first."

"Why? Uncle Jason, he gave you everything."Carly had just come from the ladies room when she saw Michael holding a gun on Jason.

"Everything? He took away everything that Jason ever wanted. He has been jealous of Jason for years. You, you are a pathetic little boy playing at what you think is life. This--" he said with open arms and spinning around. "This isn't life. This party, the money, the power, they aren't what is important at the end of the day."

"You don't know what you are talking about, with money and power you can buy anything you want." retorted the young blond.

"No, you can't. Money can't buy you a smile from the woman you love after she has just given birth to your child. It can't buy you watching that child's first steps. It can't buy you a beautiful sunset with your family." he said. "The twisted values that your parents gave you, they are nothing but an illusion. Even your mother knows that, as moronic as she is. That is why she hates Elizabeth Webber so bad."

"No, she hated Elizabeth for stealing you away from us." he said.

"Elizabeth didn't steal anything. She didn't have to, it has been hers all along." he replied. "And your mother knows it. It is why she was so desperate to ruin things, because Elizabeth was born with natural beauty that outshines the stars, an innate sense of class and most importantly a loving heart where your mother has a cash register."

"No!" shouted Carly.

Johnny looked at her with scorn and said "Yes, and you know it. You, you are an easy lay. You just have the sense to do it with rich men. Like Jax, like Sonny and like Jason."

"Stop talking about yourself in the second person." snapped Michael as his hand began to waver.

"Certainly, Master Quartermaine. You should know, Sonny isn't at the strip club where you left him. He is on a jet heading out of town. But he won't arrive at his destination. Instead he is going to land someplace a little closer, on a base filled with Marines. He is going to disappear legally." said Johnny.

"NO! You are lying!" he said while Carly stood there froze. The whole of the Port Charles police department rushed in just as the boy fired his weapon.

Johnny looked down at his chest and the claret color spreading out and then up at the blond who fired at him. "I was right, you are a killer."

Carly saw the bullets hit, and pushing her son out of the way, screamed for help as she tried to stop the bleeding. When Patrick and Jeff Webber, got there, they did their best and soon had the man on the way to the hospital with Bobbie holding back a screaming Carly.

Michael just stared, he had done it. He had shot someone. Turning to his mother, he said "I'm sorry, but he was lying. Dad wouldn't abandon me that way. He just wouldn't."

The huge crowd stood there stunned, when Carly walked over to her first born, her favored son and spit in his face. "You are dead to me."

Bobbie let her go, she had seen the empty look in Micheal's face and knew that something had broken in that little boy. "Carly, you don't mean that."

"Yes, I do. He is just like his father, just like AJ. Jason is the one person in this world that I love. He is the person who I would die for, yet Michael shot him. He shot the man has never abandoned me. He is no better than AJ."

Alexis had seen the whole thing and went to the new commissioner and said "I am riding with my client."

Carly gave a bitter laugh. "He can't afford you. He is broke."

"Carly, you are a piece of work. I will take care of things." said Jax looking at his soon to be ex-wife. "You know, I expect you to put Jason before Morgan and our daughter, before me, but the one person I always thought came first was Michael. Now I know even he is expendable to this great love you think you share with Jason. Look at your son, he is the way he is because of you, you created this. And like usual it will be others who clean up your mess. Get out of here, I can't stand the sight of you."

Alexis called Diane and gave her a quick rundown, the red head told her she would see her at the station then made a quick untraceable overseas call. "Max, what you said. It happened."

Bowing his head, Max said "They screwed him up good, didn't they?"

"Did you talk to your father?" she asked.

"He agreed no retaliation for the attempted hit once I explained." Max didn't tell her that in exchange he had agreed to marry a local girl and start a family. Diane and he had ended, but he still would miss her.

"I have to go." she said knowing it would be the last time she talked to him.

"Take care of him. He is going to need you." said Max who then hung up and left a voice message on another phone.

Jerry left the airport and changed out of his overalls. The plane took off and ten minutes later the vapor trail stopped as pieces of jet started to fall out of the sky. "Good riddance, Corinthos."

TBC


	13. Chapter 13 Confrontation

A/N: This Alexis/Johnny stuff just keeps writing itself, I will be honest and say I have no idea where it is going. Same with the Johnny Z and Georgie incident in the kitchen, I originally had her pointing it at all of them when they arrived in Alan's room but it deleted itself. And now is the start of the Michael intervention, will it work?

_**Chapter 13: Confrontation**_

_Sometimes it takes seeing with your own eyes...._

As Harper led Michael into a jail cell, he watched the placid boy. Once back in the bull pen, he called Dr Winters and said "We might have to put the Corinthos boy on suicide watch."

"On my way. I am at GH and we just got the call about Morgan incoming." she said even as she was pulling on her coat.

Arriving at the station, she saw Jasper Jacks talking to Alexis Davis and Diane Miller. "Where is Carly? I need permission from her to treat Michael."

The threesome looked at one another then Diane crisply said "Mr. Jacks is the young man in question's stepfather. He can authorize it since his wife is at the hospital with Mr. Morgan."

Lainey blinked at that one then couldn't help thinking that sounded just like the blond. "Then I will need you to sign off on paperwork since Carly filed some to keep me away during his last visit to this place."

Cursing under his breath, Jax did then went back to speaking to the lawyers. "What now?"

"You go home and take care of the two kids you have there, I will get in to see Michael after Dr. Winters does her evaluation. Then come back, I think..." Alexis turned at the shouting.

They all heard the shouts from the cells then saw Lainey entering the bull pen. "Someone just tried to shoot Michael."

"Where is he?" asked Jax feeling guilty. He had walked away because he had believed that if Carly had anyone's best in mind it was Micheal's. He had been shocked tonight to realize she had considered even him expendable.

"He is going to be fine. Dr. Winters, Det. Harper needs medical attention." said the Commissioner. The guards brought Michael up and were told to take him to interrogation. Seeing the looks, he explained. "Safest place I can think of right now."

"Who was it?" asked Jax.

"Didn't see but the man was wearing a mask. Dirty blond hair though." he said. "You may go in to see Mr. Corinthos, but it might not do much good. He hasn't said a word, just stares into space."

Alexis entered expecting him to be copying his Uncle's jailhouse techniques but soon got what he was talking about. Michael just stared, there was nothing in him. "Michael? Can you talk to me?"

"There is nothing to talk about." he said. "I did it, I killed Uncle Jason."

"No, you shot him." she said gently. "He is at the hospital now. We need to talk about this, I called your attorney for the other case, he agreed to let me take over."

"Why?" he asked looking her in the eyes. "It's simple. I did it."

"What made you do it?" she asked.

"He..." Michael didn't feel or see the tears flowing down his face but Alexis did. "He doesn't love me anymore. No one does. I was only a commodity. For Mom, for dad."

"But why shoot Jason? Why not your mother? Why not Sonny?"

"Dad said that ... but he lied and is gone. Mom ..." Even outside the room they could hear Micheal's bitter laughter. "... never loved me. She would have left me behind if she could have still had Uncle Jason. I guess that is why I did it. The people who were supposed to love me only wanted me for Uncle Jason. It has been that way for years."

When Michael started laughing again, Alexis reached out and took his hand. "Michael, I have never seen you like that, and there are others who feel the same way. Your grandmother, Jax."

"But Jax knows I am a bad influence on Morgan and will be on Jocelyn. You would be smart to keep me away from the girls and Grandma Bobbie is all about making it up to mom." he said.

"That isn't true." she said. "They are all here, outside."

"I don't want to see them, I don't want to see you. I just want the pain to end. All of it." he said. "I tried so hard to be who Dad wanted me to be, to have him look at me like he does Uncle Jason, for what? Him to abandon me when he found out he had a real son."

Alexis moved around the table, making the guards restless but she still reached out and hugged the lost little boy. "Michael, I am a Cassadine, if anyone understands where you are coming from, it is me. If you need me, I will be back. Okay?"

"Don't bother. Hopefully this will end soon. Killing Uncle Jason assured that, his people won't let that one go unanswered. Maybe it will be that Cody Paul, I certainly pissed him off well enough." he said laughing again.

Alexis went back into the bullpen and told the others what he said "Diane, he isn't doing so well. I would like to get my hands on that blond bitch and Sonny. No one would be able to stop me from killing them." she fumed.

"Alexis, they are calling from GH, I have to go over." said Diane. "Mrs. Jones are you coming with me or staying?"

Bobbie looked around the station and said "Staying. He needs someone and that clearly isn't going to be the person who it should right now."

Meanwhile at GH, the helicopter landed with Jeff and Patrick who were moving the gurney down to the surgical floor. Matt met them there and took over while Jeff said "I am scrubbing in."

"Sir, you can't do that, you don't have a medical license to practice here."

"Kid, I was a doctor in this hospital before your dad ever even meet your mother." he snapped. "Now get out of my way."

Soon Jeff joined the kid in the operating room. Taking the lower bullet wound, he said "Just as I thought, we can close this, but are going to need medical permission from his family to remove the kidney."

Matt soon had the shoulder wound taken care of but could do little more than assist the older doctor as he tried to repair the damage done to the organs by the bullet that had bounced around inside Jason Morgan's body.

When the nursing staff had rolled him off to recovery, Jeff went out to the full waiting room. Seeing the slutty brunette from the party with a bandage on her head, he asked "What happened to you?"

Snickering, Robin couldn't help remembering what Sam had been saying when she woke up while Patrick had been sewing her gash up. "She only has a concussion. How is Jason?"

Looking around, he said "The bullet bounced around in side of him. We had to repair tears to the liver, it penetrated the lungs and went out his left shoulder. The most severe damage was to his kidneys. We are going to need permission to remove one of them."

"Oh My GOD!" said Carly getting louder with every word. "I KNEW IT, I KNEW THAT SOME HAS BEEN HACK SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO OPERATE ON JASON. If you killed him, I am going to sue you for everything you don't have. You path---"

She didn't get another word out because an annoyed Epiphany had come onto the scene and used medical tape to shut her up. "Now if you want this removed, you will shut your ignorant mouth up. Got it?"

Nodding but still fuming, Carly lowered her voice and said "Wait until I go to the board, they are going to fire your ass. Do you know who I am?"

"The woman who has no brains and slept her way into riches?" asked Maxie as she joined them.

Robin and a few others couldn't control the urge to smile in spite of how serious the matter was. Spinelli who loathed to admit it, knew he had to tell Carly who the man was. "Valkyrie, the savior of our great master is in fact a surgeon beyond the skills of most. He is a master of the intricate art of the human interior in spite of being the father of the baby stealing whore who managed to use her uterus to temporarily enchant Stone Cold."

Jeff turned to the geek and said. "So you are the bastard who altered the records. Take your praise for my medical skills and get the hell out of my family's hospital. Now!"

"You can't do that, Stone Cold is my friend."

"Well when Stone Cold awake, I will have him transferred to Mercy where the users in his life can visit him. Now if all of you will shut the hell up, I need to find out who has Mr. Morgan's attorney's number?"

"Why?" snapped Sam.

"Because I need to find out who to ask for permission to perform the surgery."

"I can do that." she said. "I am positive it's me."

Carly looked at her scornfully then said "No, it is more than likely Sonny or me."

Robin saw Jeff turning to Patrick and asked and was shocked at the answer.

"Last time, it was all emergency surgery, since we were saving his life we never had to access it."

"I can do it, over the computer." said an eager Spinelli only for Jeff to say.

"Don't even think about. I want a letter from his attorney or I will have the Quartermaine's sign off. I wouldn't trust anything coming from you Mr. Spinelli."

Lulu had been sitting quietly putting puzzle pieces together and had come up with the Webber's ruining her brother and stealing his hospital. "He is just trying to help his friend?"

"You mean like when he altered Jason Morgan's son's medical records giving him to your brother since he didn't want his friend there to have to share Jason's attention. Too bad he didn't think things through. Or when he went in and changed the records proving that Miss McCall isn't Alexis Davis' daughter."

Sam said "Oh course I am, my daughter saved hers and Nik saved me."

"I didn't say you weren't a Cassadine, but you aren't Miss Davis'. Stefan is your father, same as Mr. Cassadine."

Lulu laughed and said "Your information is out of date. Nik dad is Stavro's, not Stefan."

"I don't have time for this. Will someone please get Mr. Morgan's attorney's number?" snarled Jeff wishing he had his briefcase with him so he wouldn't have to deal with these people.

"That would be me." said Diane who glared at Carly. "and it would be a mote point."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because Jason's medical guardian is, was Elizabeth. Has been since 2006."

"That is a lie." said Spinelli. "I have seen the paperwork, it is fair Sam."

"When I took over as Mr. Morgan's legal council, he named Elizabeth Webber to that position."

"Impossible, we were still together." snapped Sam.

"Look, it has been almost ten hours since we opened up Mr. Morgan, he has about fourteen more, someone figure this out and let me know. Miss McCall, I wouldn't let you make decisions about a gold fish." was Jeff's parting remark while Lulu went off to make a quick call.

Waking up Nik, she told him what she had heard and he swore then said "I have to call Alexis."

Jason got off the phone with Epiphany then pulled Elizabeth off to the side. "I know I suggested we stay here, but we need to head home. Johnny was shot."

"What?" she asked. "By who?"

Looking around for his brother he quietly said "Michael, there is more Sonny is dead. Cody is following Jerry even as we speak. I just talked to Epiphany and we need to be there for Johnny, so that I can kill him when he wakes up."

In spite of her fear, Elizabeth gave a little laugh. "Alan will be okay, I just wanted him to look better before your Mom sees him. She is not going to like how pale he is."

"Elizabeth, I don't think she will care, he is alive. He could be green with bright pink polka dots and orange hair." said Mac.

Looking at Jason, Elizabeth "I get that. Can we make it before Monica and the boys?"

"We are going to try." he relied. "Georgie, have you checked on her?"

"I was planning on doing so in private." she said.

Jason and AJ arranged for the fastest jet there to take them home, then once they were in the air, Elizabeth took Georgie with her to the back of the very large jet and said "I need to know what happened. What did he do?"

"Nothing, I just knew he was going to ... rape... me." she whispered. "I could see it in his eyes but he didn't expect me to be able to fight back. So when he put down his gun, I fought with him."

"Let me check you over, just in case." said Elizabeth. It was more of a test than anything else. If she didn't allow her to do so, she was going to recommend that Mac get someone to help Georgie.

Instead, Georgie said "Can we keep this private?"

"Of course." she said then gasped at the bruising on her arms and body. "Good thing I brought you a long sleeve shirt and a loose one at that."

"I got these when we fought." she said. "They ache more than anything else."

Checking her over, Elizabeth offered her a pain pill but Georgie would only take the Tylenol. "I don't want to be groggy."

As they walked back down the hallway, Georgie said "It scared me more than anything else, you know what I mean. I had always been so careful so good, so that bad things wouldn't happen, but they did anyhow."

"I do know. Georgie, living a safe life, doesn't always mean you are safe in it." she said. "I have been learning that the hard way."

The younger girl hugged her dad when they rejoined them in the main cabin, then said "Dad, I wasn't raped. He was going to, but he didn't think I was strong enough to fight back."

"Jerry, Georgie do you know why Jerry did this?" asked Jason.

"A bit. Your dad was insurance against something with the briefcase that was so important at the Metrocourt. Emily was an accident, he was after someone else."

"Who?" asked AJ.

"I don't know, anymore than I know why he had you. I do know he wanted Maxie, not me. I was an accident but then he figured out something and became very excited."

"What do you mean?" asked Jason.

"Something about a house you burnt down." she said with a side-way glance.

"The Zachara place." said Mac. "Look, I am no longer the commissioner and have decided I am done with the job, so nothing can be used against you. I think we need to be open."

"I did, but why was he happy about that?" asked Jason pulling Elizabeth closer.

"Letters, he got some letters. I saw him reading something when I brought him the list of supplies we needed." she said. "He was writing when I first got there mumbling about needing leverage and he put whatever it was away. He was complaining about some of the things on the list then suddenly became well, nice."

"Nice?" asked Mac.

"Yup, it's the only word for it. Two days later the supplies came in and inside were some books, well lots of text books. All for me." she said. "He then said that he finally had found a use for me other than as a get out of jail free card."

"Why did he let Emily die?" asked AJ.

Shivering, Georgie said "He didn't. I know you don't remember, but he would only visit once every couple of months. Most of the time we didn't have a guard but in winter we did since the ice freezes over."

"And you could escape." said Elizabeth.

"Yes, the first one, last year. When AJ escaped and Emily died, Jerry killed him. We had been all alone and we knew that Emily needed help. We made a list, in case the drugs were real that he warned us about."

"You used the life jacket we found. Then when the tide was going in towards the main land, you put it on and slipped away across the ice." she said soberly. "I doubt you made it before Emily died. We were too late."

Looking down, she said "Jerry freaked, shot the guard and then destroyed one of the rooms. He wrapped Emily up, then carried her to the boat."

"What happened to the dead guy?" asked Johnny.

"I buried him. Out back in the flower garden." she said sadly. "He wasn't mean, he just needed the money, it was why he was working for Jerry. We kind of took advantage of him so that AJ could escape."

"You did what you had to do, whatever else, that man was holding you hostage, Georgie." said Elizabeth.

"I know, I just still feel guilty." she said.

Johnny looked at her then said "These letters, they were from my family's estate?"

"Yes, all I know is that he said Trevor Lansing had them. I have no connection to Ric or his dad, so I have no idea what was so interesting about them." she said with a shrug.

"Johnny, do you know anything that would help?" asked Jason.

"I haven't a clue. I have never heard Georgie's name mentioned, nor Maxie's. Or even her father's other than involving his job." he said.

"I wonder if is somehow is connected to Frisco." said Mac.

"But why would Jerry care?" asked Elizabeth.

"Jerry was working with the WSB, they paid for his face." said Jason. "Georgie, the night of the ball, do you remember seeing Anthony or Trevor?"

"No to the old man, he was in the room with all of us for a while, I told dad that in my statement. I remember meeting him there and I saw him at Kelly's before hand, looking in the window. As for Trevor, I ran into him once. It was slightly creepy but from what I heard that was normal."

"Creepy, how?" asked Jason.

"Well, this is going to sound strange... but like I was a horse for sale and he was looking me over before purchasing me." she said. "But it was over quickly, I thought it was my imagination at the time, but we had another run in at the police station one day and I just decided he was weirder than Ric if that was possible."

"What happened there?"

"He was standing there listening to me talking to Skye, I got the feeling he was waiting for her. Then he looked at me like that again, then said "Such a shame."

"What was a shame?"

"I don't know, but Skye and I were talking about my divorce from Dillon. I just thought it was about that."

Jason and Johnny's eyes met, neither had any idea what had been going on, so Jason made Georgie promise to stay with one of them at all times until Jerry was caught.

"Not a problem. He was waiting for Alan to die. I think he changed plans midstream." she said "He just said one less mouth to feed. He had removed AJ's clothes from the extra bedroom and told me he was bringing me a friend. Someone that like me would give him access to all. That I was necessary to keep him in line."

"He just had the place rewired, but there isn't a phone or computer there, not even a television." she said.

"Spinelli, he wants the geek." said Jason amused. "Let him grab him."

"Jason, but poor Spinelli wouldn't last a day..." said Georgie only for Johnny to pull her off to the side against Mac's better judgment and gave her an earful on what he had been up to in the last two years.

They could hear an occasional word, but no one could tell what she was thinking. "Maxie?" Really?"

"Yes, he has also been lying to Jason about Elizabeth calling, then ..." When he got to the part about Jason's biological mother and then told her that they suspected Sam was in touch with him, she said "We have go back to the others."

Sitting down next to her dad, she said "I can answer some of these questions. No, Sam isn't partner's with Jerry. He wants her dead, she betrayed him in Mexico, something about breaking a promise in exchange for his letting her escape."

That they had expected. "But I think he is after bigger fish, I know he wants Sonny dead, you too Jason." she said looking him in the eyes. "He is after someone else though."

"We have to figure that part out." said Mac. "Jerry running loose around town angry, is not a good thing."

!!*!!

Jerry was in town, he was angry but he wasn't a loose cannon. He had a plan. First Sonny, then Sam and finally the geek was going to be locked up and forced to fix the mess he had created.

Checking Wyndemere, he overheard the Prince complaining to his Aunt about Jeff Webber stealing the hospital away from him. He watched from the shadows and heard Alexis snap from the speaker phone. "Well if you hadn't all but raped Elizabeth, maybe you would still have the family fortune."

"I never raped, Elizabeth. I wanted a future with her." he said glaring at the phone.

"Nik, you knew she was suffering from PTSD, you were told what was going on, and instead of being a friend, you took advantage of her. To me that is rape. Now if you will excuse me, I have to help someone who truly needs it."

"You have to help me get GH back. After all, I am letting your daughter stay here." he blustered.

Alexis could be heard counting to ten then she snapped. "Sam isn't my daughter."

Tracy arrived at GH, only to see the crowd in the waiting room swelling, "Dr. Webber, you needed to speak to me."

"Go away, Tracy. You aren't wanted here." said Carly. Turning to Jeff she said "There is no way she should be making these decisions. Jason has never considered her family."

Nudging the dark haired woman down the hallway, Jeff turned to the two women following them and said "Stay, now sit."

When both women did so, Tracy said "Wow, it only took hours for you to train them. What do you need?"

Explaining that she was Jason's closest relative around, he asked permission to preform the surgery. With an uneasy expression, she said "What about Monica?"

"She along with Audrey are on their way, until then it is up to you. They are having a problem with cell phones cutting out in the mountains." he said "Your father is on a plane and that only leaves you."

"Where do I sign." she requested. "Wait, who is preforming the surgery?"

"Me." he said. "It's tricky because I think that there are more tears in the liver that I am going to have to repair while in there."

Looking down at the paperwork, Tracy thought about the rumors in regards to Jake and then the past with the Webber family. "Take care of him, there aren't a lot of us left."

"I will, Tracy." Jeff said. "Let me know the moment that Monica arrives."

Tracy went to security intending to have the rest of the riff raff thrown out, but Epiphany asked for a minute of her time. Getting the woman off to the side, the nurse said "Call this number, now!"

Suspicious, Tracy did what she asked. "Morgan."

"Jason?" she asked stunned. "Wait, what is going on? What are you up to? Was this all a trick?"

"No, I am sorry, but I need you to quietly follow Epiphany she is going to lead you up to the roof. We are landing on it as we speak."

Not sure what to do, Tracy followed the woman only to see Jason with Mac Scorpio and Johnny Zachara. "What the hell is going on?"

"This." he said showing her the man on the stretcher.

"ALAN?" she asked shrieking. "What did you do to your father?"

"He didn't do anything." At the sound of AJ"S voice, Tracy passed out, only to wake up to Georgie's face.

"Doesn't anyone stay dead in this town." she moaned.

"Nice to see you too, Ms. Quartermaine." said the brunette. "Now can you get up, we need to move inside."

"Wait, what just happened. Why did my brother look like hell and since when are Jason and AJ buddy buddy and I thought I saw Elizabeth Webber here. And if Jason is here, who did Michael shoot?"

"The answer to your questions, lie downstairs, now we need you to be discreet for now. They just wanted you to see Alan was alive." she said.

"Dr. Quarteramaine to you." she snapped.

"Tracy, I just spent two years locked up with him, I think I can call the man anything I like." she snapped. "Now if you will excuse me, we have someplace to be."

Walking down to the waiting room, Tracy listened to the bickering going on around her and finally got that Jason wasn't lying in that operating room, so that when Monica got off the elevator with Steven Webber, all she could do is sit there staring.

Nik got off the second one along with Lulu and Lucky at the same time and the melee started.

"Where is my son?" snapped Lucky to Steven while Nik accused him of stealing the hospital. Carly and Sam both went to talk to Monica, wanting her to takeover saving Jason.

"There is no way that Elizabeth's father should be trusted. He will kill Jason."

"What possible reason could Jeff have for wanting to kill Jason?" she asked pretending ignorance.

"Because... he believes that Jason broke Elizabeth's heart, we all know that isn't true that she ..." Sam was stymied.

"That she what Sam?" asked Audrey as she joined them. "Just what did my granddaughter do to Mr. Morgan. Did she sleep with one of Jake's kidnappers, no that would be the man having surgery. Did she chose another woman's son over hers? No that would be the same man. So just tell me what it is my granddaughter did to Jason?"

"She..." Carly was desperate but knew that she had nothing.

"She what, called two little boys bastards, no that was you. Strange, last I knew Carly, your mother wasn't married to your father, nor were you married to AJ when Michael was born. You two are hypocrites, but relax, Jason isn't in any danger."

"You would say that." said Sam.

Lucky took the moment of silence to turn to Audrey and say "Where is my son?"

With a look at Sam, Audrey gave a quick grin then said "Oh, Sam is pregnant with a boy, congratulations. Maybe now you will stop obsessing about a child that isn't yours."

Carly turned to Sam then her cousin. She saw the woman didn't even flinch while Lucky looked constipated then he said. "Wait, Sam I thought you told me that the kid was Jason's?"

"Oh, I am certain she did, but Jason was fixed. He can't be the father of her kid. So you slept with her while she was screaming to the heavens about being with Jason, funny Sam. Really really funny. So, Lucky step up. We are all waiting." said Carly with a huge grin on her face. "Tell her how she is a whore and is trying to steal your child. Well?"

Stunned, Spinelli thought about it then said "You are wrong, the goddess is the mother of the long awaited Morgan heir."

With a soft chuckle, the woman behind them said "Goddess? The only goddess she reminds me of is Hera, I believe she ate her own children."

The entire crowd turned and stared as Elizabeth stood there wearing scrubs with blood on them. "Elizabeth, what is going on?"

"Monica, you need to go to recovery room two. Follow me." she said leading the woman away.

"Oh no you don't bitch." said Sam grabbing for her arm.

Flicking Sam off like she was a fly, Elizabeth said "Oh, don't worry, I will be back. I have a few words I want to say to you." then looking at the assemblage she said "All of you."

Sam was swearing under her breath, Jason had been distant and she now knew the real reason, the whore who stole her life was alive. Lucky didn't have the common sense that god gave a gnat and shouted "Where is my son? Did you really think I would let you steal him?"

Ignoring him, she led Monica to the room, then waited until she had changed into scrubs. "Monica, this is going to be hard, but here." Opening the door, Monica saw AJ and Jason already in there, then looked at the man wearing the breathing apparatus.

"Alan?" she asked. Then moving closer, she almost fainted but for AJ catching her. "How? Oh my god." with tears flowing down her face, she reached out for his hand. Grabbing out for Jason and AJ's hands, she stopped them from going out in the hall.

Elizabeth decided to give them a few minutes and went back out in the hall. "What is going?" asked Nik, "Who is in there?"

"Nothing that concerns you, Nik. Now why don't you all head home. Jason is going to be in surgery for a while."

"I am not going anyplace." Said Carly. Sam nodded and glared at Elizabeth.

"Do you really think we will let you slither on in, like hell." she snapped.

Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth walked past them and towards her grandmother. "Grams, how are you doing? Was the trip too hard?"

"No, Monica and the boys had a blast. They have presents for you. Where is everyone?"

"Uncle Tom went to the station to get the guests that were invited." She said. "Where did Steven go?"

"To help Mac." she replied. Hearing heavy breathing behind her, Elizabeth turned to see Lucky standing rather close to her. "Back off, Lucky."

"Not until you tell me where my son is." he said moving in even closer. Elizabeth saw Johnny Zachara in the shadows, and let him know to give her a minute.

"Lucky deserves to know where his son is, after all the lies you have been telling people, how could you Elizabeth?" asked Sam. "But then that is how you are, isn't it. You act all high and mighty and you are a bigger liar then the rest of us combined."

"Spinelli?" Elizabeth turned to him and said "One thing you never knew, I would never run a DNA test here without backup's elsewhere. Care to tell Sam the truth or should I let the police handle it?"

"Jason won't let you." he said smugly.

"And thank you for the proof. See Sam, Jake is Jason's son. Your pal there, faked the tests on record. And we all know the truth, except for you and even deep down you know the truth."

"Doesn't change the fact that Jason is with me, that he loves me." she taunted. "You were a mistake, nothing more."

"For once I agree with Sam, you were a mistake and that brat of yours an even bigger one." said Carly who saw the boys getting off the elevator with a older blond man and a young black man. "Jason sees him as an obligation and you as an annoyance."

"DADDY!" the boys shouted as they got off the elevator, Lucky smugly grinned at Elizabeth when he saw them running down the hall. He knelt down expecting them to run to him, instead they rushed right past him.

Turning, he saw them in the arms of a man with bright blond hair that was past his ears. "What the hell?"

Sam and Carly stared, then Carly turned to Elizabeth. "Well, well, well. You threw Lucky over for a doctor. You can't be loyal to anyone, can you?"

"Carly, I have loved the same man for over ten years, I would say that is loyal, unlike you who chases after the largest checkbook."

"You bitch." said the blond then sneered. "Well, guess what, I am going to help Jason get his son back, enjoy your time with him, as soon as he is out of here, Jason is going to be the one taking his son home."

"Truer words were never spoken, Carly." Carly looked around and froze. "Jason? I don't understand, what is with the wig and I saw you get shot, what is going on?"

Walking past her open arms, Jason handed Jake to Steven who had come down the hall to join them and Cameron to Johnny Zachara. "Can you take them out of here? Cam, we will open your present when we get home, okay?"

Jason didn't even look at the various people in the room, keeping his eyes on the little boys who left with the four men. When they nodded yes, he said "Mommy and I will be home in a little while."

After reaching over to kiss Elizabeth, both boys soon left. When the elevator doors had closed, Jason turned to the waiting room and said "Now what were you just saying Carly. Something about taking my son home?"

"Jase, you know that she doesn't deserve to raise your son." she said. "We all know she was engaged to Lucky and sleeping with Nik."

Lucky looked at them then turned to Elizabeth and said "You whore, how could you? I loved you, I was going to raise your kids, be a father to them?"

Jason said "She is a whore, what about you, you cheated on her three times. You have quite a double standard there, Spencer, but then all of you Spencers do. Why don't you call your brother names? He was the one taking advantage of her. She was sick, she had been suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If you loved her so much, why didn't you notice, let me tell you why, because it is all about you. Always has been always will be."

"More proof that Elizabeth isn't the woman for you. Oh, please all she did is shoot one person." snorted Sam.

Jason ignored her, then said to Lucky. "Now, get this straight. Jake is my son, you know it, I know it. So stop this crap, get the hell out of here or I will let the police know what really happened the night that Manny Ruiz died."

"Like I care, I am no longer a cop." he said. "We all know that in the end, you will hurt Elizabeth and she will come running back to me."

"Lucky, you just don't get it do you. It's over. We are over. I am not going to let you control my life any longer. I owe you nothing." said Elizabeth. "I tried to tell you this before I went to the warehouse, you just refused to accept it."

"You owe me everything without me, you would still be that lost little girl crawling out of the snow like you were the night you were raped."

"You mean the night you stood me up to go out with my sister? I owe you nothing, nothing, N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Got it?"

"You bitch." he said. "We will see about that."

Jason made a mental note to find Spencer later, someplace without cameras. He had no intention of letting him call Elizabeth a whore get by him. Turning to Nik, he said "So how is business Nik?"

Swelling up in anger, Nik said "Well, next time you two are screwing, remember this. I had her, I was the man lying between her sweet thighs while you were stuck screwing Sammy."

"Nik." said Elizabeth. Then when he turned to her, she stepped closer and said "One other thing." And kneed his as hard as she could. "The only difference between you and Tom Baker is that you wear better clothes. You bastard. You knew I was sick, and still..."

"I have had better." he said.

"Really, must have been Katherine Belle, because according to Em, you weren't that great." she replied. "And I can verify that from personal experience."

Nik said "You two are going to pay for stealing my business."

"Cassadine, I didn't do anything. That would be my partner. He was the one who stripped it all away. By the way, I am not finished with you. You are going to pay for Elizabeth, for Emily and for not telling anyone about Claudia."

Seeing his face, Elizabeth said "Yes, we know. Carly, Nik here knew that Claudia was behind Micheal's shooting."

"Stone Cold, what is with the stealth dressing?" asked Spinelli who was ignored. "Master? Are you angry with your grasshopper?"

Jason looked through the kid, just as the elevator opened and Robin exited along with Maxie and Patrick. Seeing the two in scrubs, Maxie asked "How is Jason doing?"

Robin stood in shock, then shouted "Elizabeth? Oh my god, what happened? Thank god. I am so sorry, I was a fool."

Hugging the woman, Elizabeth said "You can tell me later what that means, but right now, we are in the middle of something. Did Mac call you?"

"Mac?" she shook her head no. "No, he didn't. Why? Did he bring you back? Did my uncle know where you were all this time?"

"No, long story and we will get to it, in time." she said hugging Patrick then moving past Maxie,

Finding a hand on her arm, she looked up to see Maxie looking confused. "Now I am not saying we are ever going to be friends, but I am sorry for my part in what happened to you. I guess you can say I got lucky and woke up to the truth."

Nodding, Elizabeth said "Apology accepted. You might want to stick around, Mac has a big surprise for you."

Nodding, Maxie sat down, she had no part of this fight.

Sam and Carly were talking over each other, trying to get Jason to tell Elizabeth to go away. When they had shown themselves up, he smirked when they turned to Elizabeth and said "There is no room for you in Jason's life. We made a deal, if we don't fight we get to share him."

Looking at them in disgust, she saw her father coming down the hall and asked "How is he?"

"Elizabeth?" he asked his head whirling in disbelief.

"You can ask later, how is he?"

"Mr. Morgan is going to be a very sick man for a little while, but he should make a complete recovery." he said then asked "How?"

"Long story. Did you have to completely remove the kidney?"

"Yes.' Then looking at the blond standing next to his daughter, he said "Who the hell are you?"

Jason reached out and shook his hand then said "Jason Morgan, the real one. How is my double?"

"Double?" screeched the two banshees.

"Why do you have a double, did you suspect what Michael was going to do?" asked Carly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Sam smirked, because she was certain that they had switched places before the warehouse explosion, it explained why he had said he wasn't the father and she knew that Jason would never refuse to allow her to have his child.

Ignoring them, Jason said "When this is over, we need to talk."

"I am going to check on my patient then sleep for a couple of hours. Elizabeth, I hope that I may meet my grandsons at some point this week." he said then left quietly. Tom had a lot to answer for.

There was an awkward silence then Sam slide up to Jason and pressed up against him saying "I knew something was up, from the moment he woke up, He was so mean to me. He tried saying he wasn't the father of my baby, but then he wasn't was he?"

Jason removed her arms from around him and said "I truly don't care either way, but for his sake, I hope not."

"I am sorry, I didn't know he wasn't you. He faked it so well. Jason, I swear we only slept together once or twice. Please, you have got to believe me." she said her eyes watering up.

"You liar, you were bragging just yesterday that the two of you went at it like rabbits." said Carly wanting to prove herself the better woman. "Jason, I swear, I only gave him a blow job."

Rolling his eyes, Jason stood there and let them out each other then said "Carly, do you even want to know who you were sleeping with?"

Flushing she said "No, I know you will punish him for taking advantage of me that way."

"You are right, he is in trouble, but only because when he left Mexico he forgot about the note for Elizabeth I had hidden here. I could care less if he slept with you in the middle of the Metrocourt lobby with all of your hotel guests watching."

Maxie laughed, she had to. The expression of horror on Carly's face and the look of concentration on Sam's was amusing. "Uh, Jason. I think I get it, but for those who rode to school on the small yellow bus, when did you switch places with whoever that is?"

Robin felt her mouth fall open and she could fell the words tumbling out "Johnny O'Brien. That is Johnny O'Brien."

Carly screamed then looked at Jason in anger "I had unprotected sex with a guard, with that bastard who thought he was so much better than Courtney and I? You let him into my life, after all he did to me?"

Jason stood there then said "I thought it was only oral sex, Carly? As for Johnny he was better than the two of you. And the only thing he did to you is prove that you and your playmate were liars."

Carly started to protest but Sam played dumb and asked "Who is Johnny O'Brien?"

Jason looked at her and said with a thin smile. "The man who has been playing me since that second day in Mexico."

Sam eyes were blinking rapidly as she recalled Mexico and said "No, that isn't true. I know you, I know that it was you that I had sex with."

"No, Sammy it wasn't." said Maxie gleefully. "Jason, is this Johnny Married?"

"What?" asked Spinelli.

"Well, see I decided to swear off cheating and I wouldn't want to kiss someone already seeing anyone."

"You are lying, you are just trying to get that gullible whore to believe you wouldn't sleep with me after what I did." snapped Sam. "Too bad, not even she is that much of a fool."

Elizabeth saw AJ coming down the hallway and took out the cotton and stuffed it in her ears. Robin saw that and then looked towards where she was staring.

"AJ?" she asked as Carly whirled around and turned white as a ghost.

"Yes, Robin. It is me. I was part of the team that rescued Jason in Mexico. Sam, I know that Jerry told you he shot Jason, six times. When you rescued him, he had only two bullet wounds and was out of his mind from the fever. Do you really think my brother is superman? That his wounds healed that quickly? I mean he is the golden boy, but not even Jason is capable of sexing you up with six bullets in him."

"You, I know you are a liar! This Jason is fake, he has to be. The real Jason is lying in that hospital bed." She said.

"No, Sam. Want proof. When I saw you with Ric, you claimed it was forced, yet you were on top kissing your way down to his waist." said Jason.

"You can't be Jason, he would never be this cruel." she said.

"Sam, remember my promise, I don't make empty ones." he said. "Now, I would leave here quietly and take Spinelli with you. Spinelli, there will be a time of a reckoning, and you had better have damn good answers as to why you would attack the woman I love and my family the way you did, otherwise..."

Spinelli believed he was going to be okay, unaware that Jason just wanted him free so that they could use him for bait. Once Jerry had him, he had no intention of letting the little creep escape.

"Oh, Carly." called out Jason when she started to head to the elevator. "Where do you think you are going?"

"I need to check on Michael." she said only to hear her words at the Metrocourt to be heard rather loudly from the television behind her. "You should come with me, Michael needs you."

"Michael needs his father." said Jason evenly.

"I couldn't agree more, and you were always the best father he had." she said hoping to remind him of the past. "Remember, you promised to always be there for him?"

"Oh, I will be, by doing what is best for him. AJ, are you going to the station before or after talking to Alexis?"

Carly screeched again, this time drawing Epiphany from a room and the large woman moved quickly over. "Mrs. Jacks, one more time and you will find yourself in a lock down ward under a thirty six hour watch, do you understand me?"

"Carly, we need to talk." said AJ grabbing her arm and leading her away.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14 Setting things right

_**Chapter 14: Setting things to rights.**_

Maxie was waiting, hoping to hear screams from the room where the resurrected AJ had dragged Carly, but instead Robin answered her phone and said "Of course, Felicia, we will be right there."

"What is going on?" asked Maxie.

"Frisco and your mother want us to meet them at Kelly's in an hour." she said. Patrick said he had to stay there, but would see her at home before kissing Robin goodbye.

Looking at a worried Elizabeth, he said "Do you know what is going on?"

"Yes, but I will let Robin tell you."

"Then how about taking the time to tell me how you are doing?" he asked hugging his friend.

Elizabeth let Jason know she was going to the waiting room as he stood outside and listened to AJ let Carly know that things in her life were going to be changing.

Carly tried to twist her arm out of the tight grip AJ had on her. "What do you think you are doing?"

"What, you think a meat-hook would be kinder? Let me go ask Jason if he still owns that warehouse." he snapped.

"Would you just get over that. Like you didn't deserve it." she hissed the blond as she saw her worst mistake standing in front of her. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, I am just here to let you know to stay away from Michael. Don't go to visit him thinking that you will make peace now that you know Jason wasn't shot and expecting your son to be the bridge you can use to repair your friendship. Jason is done with you. What the hell is wrong with you? Telling Michael what you did? I mean, I knew you were vain, self absorbed, and all about a man who didn't want you, but seriously, I never thought you would treat your own son that way."

"I thought he killed Jason." she said. "But Jason is fine, he will take care of things, he always does."I know that he will be there to bail Michael out and I will be there to support my little man."

"No, no he won't be. I am going to be there for Michael, if he will let me be. Jason is done. He was done before we even walked through the hospital doors tonight. You lost, Carly and if I have any say I will make sure that Morgan and Jocelyn, that is her name isn't it? That they never had to deal with your twisted sick idea of what love is again."

"You, you need to stay away from him. He hates you."

"I wonder why." he drawled. "Frankly Carly, I don't give a damn what you want. Neither does my brother. And right now, Mac Scorpio is with Alexis Davis, the new commissioner, Jax and someone named Diane explaining about what happened. After that, if we can swing it, Michael is going to a treatment center. Someplace safe from you."

"I am real worried. AJ, you were born a loser and you will die a loser. I don't care what lies you told to Jason, eventually he will wake up to your deceit. He always does. Because no matter what, you will always be the drunk who took away his memories then later stole his son away from him." she said with a smug grin.

"Carly, Carly, Carly, you are the same street rat you were years ago, Jason now knows what true love it, and he isn't buying the same old obsessive, needy crap you are trying to sell. You just don't get it, it's over. There is nothing left for you."

Walking to the door, he said "I meant what I said, stay away from Michael. I only hope that I can help him recover from the brainwashing that Sonny and you did. You used to claim I would be a terrible father, but take a good look. Sonny abandoned Michael after turning him into a mess, for what? A biological son. As for you, as soon as Michael was no longer useful to keep Jason around, you turned your back on your own child."

" I didn't mean it, I was angry and just had a terrible moment of weakness." she said only for AJ to laugh loudly.

"I wouldn't try that one on Jason, he is already planning on making Sam pay long and hard for the same excuse." AJ walked to the door. Walking back to the waiting room, AJ let Jason and Elizabeth know he was going to see Michael as soon as Mac called then asked about Monica.

"Alan is holding his own. She is with him. Dr. Julian said that he should be well enough to go home tomorrow. Speaking of home, I have to find Elizabeth so that we can do the same."

"Night." said AJ. Then turning he asked "What time tomorrow?"

"Schedule it around your visits with Michael, I don't intend to deal with anything but my family." he said. "Business can wait."

Johnny had been watching Elizabeth who was telling Patrick everything. When her friend seemed furious, she tried to calm him down. "No, Lainey should have come to me, to the chief of staff Monica, she broke protocol yet again."

"I get that, I am not too thrilled either. But she was only trying to help." she said with a sigh. "She had no way of knowing and I bear some of the responsibility. Yes, I was sick, but I still slept with Nik."

Patrick just paced back and forth while trying to figure out what to do. "Wait, what do you know about the hospital takeover?"

Carly had been walking away from AJ, Jason had rebuffed her attempts to talk to him by just walking away. She had known he was upset she had slept with Johnny, but it really hadn't been her fault. She had heard Patrick talking and moved in closer.

"Just that Jason made an offer through Johnny that was rejected." she told him not wanting to get into it in the open. "How is he, by the way?"

"His head injury had just healed when Michael shot him, your dad told you about the other. I just worry about infection and the possibility of further trauma."

"You should know, AJ said that when he was shot in Mexico, all Sam had was tequila and a dirty sweaty rag, just in case there is a dormant infection inside of him."

Carly didn't hear anything she could use and was a bit disappointed. Johnny moved to the hallway to follow the blond and overheard her making a call. "Do we still have a deal? Elizabeth Webber for Sam McCall."

Whatever she heard, she had a good laugh then hung up saying "That will take care of both of my problems."

Accidentally bumping into the blond, Johnny made a point of menacing her and removing her cell phone. Checking the number's quickly, he called Jason's contact who said "Disposable cell phone, I will play back the call though."

"How can you do that?" he asked.

"We have had a bug in her phone for days, or rather Mr. Spinelli does, we are just piggy backing his signal." said the man on the other end. Playing the call, they both listened as Carly made a deal with Jerry Jacks.

"I will tell Jason." he said quickly then hung up and dropped the phone in the trash. Catching the mobster, he said "Carly, deal with Jerry. Elizabeth for Sam."

Swearing, Jason thanked Johnny then said "We are assigning guards to everyone. You should think about staying someplace safe."

"No, I will be fine." he said then on his way out the door said "What are you going to do?"

"About Carly, nothing. See, Jerry never keeps his end of the deal. I will increase security on Elizabeth and the boys."

"She is going to get away with this?" he asked in disbelief.

"No, I have plans for her. I am going to let Jerry take care of giving up enough to let Carly hang." he said staring out the window.

!!*!!

"So let me get this straight. Jerry, my brother, kidnapped Alan, AJ and Emily Quartermaine along with your daughter?" asked Jax. Seeing Mac nodding, he looked at the brunette with him and said "Again, why?"

Repeating the same information her father had told him, Georgie added "He also intends to grab Damien Spinelli to help him access some funds that were stolen from him. At least that is my guess."

"What funds?" asked Mac looking at his daughter.

"I don't know. I am just guessing, but he was awfully angry something about money from South America that went missing. I don't think he knew who actually helped themselves to it, but he had only eliminated Jason and Sonny."

Mac knew that Jerry Jacks was at his most dangerous when money was involved and tried to think of who from his rogue's gallery of suspects would have done something so stupid. Seeing Jax following him, he glared when the man asked "Did you have to blow up my Island?"

"Your brother had a guard there, he was planning on raping my little girl, Jerry had better hope he runs far, far away. Thank god after what happened to Elizabeth, I insisted on both girls taking self defense classes."

Jax flushed then said "I didn't know, man. I am sorry."

Looking him in the eyes, Mac said "If you know where Jerry is, you had better tell me. If Frisco gets to him..." he left it blank but Jax got the message.

"I don't know, but my mother thinks he is dead, so my guess is he is here or on his way here." said Jax then turned when he heard someone calling his name. Seeing AJ talking to Diane was quite a shock in spite of what Mac had told him.

Walking over, he said "AJ."

"Jax, we need to talk about Michael. I need you to tell me what he needs." he said grimly. "We have kept up on the news. I know all the stupid things he has been doing, but how much of it is permanent behavior and how much is redeemable?"

"Until he shot Jason, I would have said he was completely unredeemable, but I saw a lost little boy in that lobby. One who lost it all."

"Carly, by the way now that Jason is back and whole is claiming she didn't mean what she said to him. That it was all a mistake." said AJ with disgust.

"What do you expect, she isn't a complete fool, she knows that Jason always forgive, always helps her." said Jax sounding resigned.

"Not this time." said a confident AJ. "Jason made it very clear, but you know Carly she had to keep pushing it. She attacked Elizabeth right in front of him. Made a complete fool of herself then blamed Jason for her sleeping with Johnny O'Brien. I do have one question, did you know that Carly told Elizabeth her sons were bastards and that she should have let herself die when Diego attacked so that Jason's hands weren't hurt?"

Seeing the expression on his face, AJ said "I didn't think so, and that is only some of the crap that Elizabeth finally admitted in regards to the way that Carly treated her."

"I hate to sound like I am agreeing with Carly, but Ric was married to Elizabeth when he was trying to steal her child." said Jax. "Carly still has a lot of resentment towards her for that, even though it is unjustified."

"You have no idea, do you?" asked AJ. "Elizabeth is the only reason they found out the truth, she almost died trying to save Carly. Something she likes to pretend didn't happen. Also, are you really that big of a fool, Carly's problem with Elizabeth is one thing and one thing only. Elizabeth saved Jason the night Carly screwed Sonny while married to me and the same night Jason was shot. She knows that Jason was already half in love with Elizabeth, and that the time they spent together then, was what led to Jason not wanting to be sacrifice himself for her."

"Sacrifice himself?" asked Jax.

"Think on it. When Jason is with Elizabeth, he doesn't run to Carly as much, gets snippy with her about needing rescuing, and Carly has done lots of shitty things over the years to keep them apart. From convincing Courtney to chase after him, to doing the same with Sam McCall. Why? Why is she okay with Sam a woman who had Sonny's kid being with Jason, and not Elizabeth. Because Sam is easy to manipulate."

Jax saw Bobbie approaching from where she had been arguing with Mac and Alexis, and said quickly "I get what you are saying, but how sure are you that Jason isn't going to ride to her rescue?"

Thinking back on his brother's plans AJ said. "One hundred percent."

Hearing his name, AJ turned and felt Bobbie slap him and try to blame him for her daughter's current mess. "You only get one free shot." he snapped at the woman. "And no, I didn't do this. CARLY did, you were there, you witnessed her disowning her own son. So don't you dare blame this on me. Put the blame right where it belongs, on Carly and Sonny."

"Why are you here?" she snapped. "You stay away from Michael or I will have those old kidnapping charges reinstated."

Jax intervened and said "Bobbie, Carly admitted to me a few years ago that Zander really did hang him up and Sonny forced him to sign away his rights. According to Diane and Alexis, that makes the agreement null and void, so technically speaking he didn't kidnap him son and Alexis agreed not to press charges for Kristina."

"How can you do this? Do you know what he wants to do with Michael?" she asked breaking down in tears. "He has lost lost mother and his father, along with Jason. And you want to turn him over to a man he barely knows?"

"Whose fault is that?" he asked cuttingly. "Your daughter. And she and Sonny were considered good role models for Michael? I was only a drunk, but at least I tried to work out a deal. Sonny didn't, Carly didn't. Instead they turned my son into the mess he is now? Is there a single Spencer out there who can possibly raise a decent kid?"

"I don't you your family did a much better job." she said.

"Really?" he mocked. "Lucky is a lying cheating obsessed former drug addict who has been fired from the police department a job he kept only because of Alexis and Ric Lansing. Lulu, from what I hear is following in her family's rather rutted tracks, lying cheating and so obsessed with another woman's husband she tricked him into bed then when it ended blamed that victim to her next victim. I won't even go into Carly."

Bobbie saw Mac coming up with Felicia and Frisco and begged them for help.

"Bobbie, I read about this place. I think you need to accept that it might be a good idea." said Felicia gently. "You need to face that Carly went too far and that Michael is never going to trust her again."

"She loves him." she said weakly. "Jason is back, he will get her back on track."

Feeling bad for his old friend, Mac said "Bobbie, Jason wanted to let Carly just sink. He has known for a couple of weeks about Carly sleeping with Johnny O and wasn't happy with her. He was more freaked out than anything else. Mainly because he finally figured out that Carly has been lusting after him for years."

"She loves Jax." she said weakly then looking around said "She said so."

"Then why did she turn on her own son?" asked AJ. "Jax, will you help me talk to Michael?"

!!*!!

Now, Lucky knew he wasn't the cleverest person around, but after having more than one person tell him that he was the father of Sam's kid, he knew he had to confront the woman.

Knocking on her bedroom door until she opened it, he said "We need to talk."

"There is nothing to talk about Lucky. Why don't you track down your slut of an ex-wife, and talk to her." Sam was furious, Jason had been rude to her and it was all because of that slut Elizabeth.

"Pot meet kettle." he snarked at her. "You have a lot of room to talk. The entire waiting room heard your deal with Carly and the fake Jason. Sharing a man now are we?"

"Shut up, Lucky. I am not in the mood." she had had a very sad Spinelli confirm that he had indeed altered the records. When she had snapped at him for it, pointing out that if she was a true Cassidine, unlike Alexis she could inherit part of that great estate, Sam liked living on the Island, having servants waiting on her.

"Too bad. Now according to Carly who was furious about it, fake Jason couldn't have kids, so unless you were screwing around with even more men, that makes me the father of your kid."

"No, Lucky it doesn't. Jason is the father of this baby," she replied pissed off that blond bitch couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Sam you can keep saying it all you want but I think we both know the truth. Don't go making any plans with either of the Jasons. I already lost one kid to him, I am not about to lose another." he snapped as he left.

Going to see Nik, he saw his brother swearing and said "You, what the hell were you doing, sleeping with Elizabeth? You knew? You knew she was sick?" Lucky couldn't believe what he had heard.

"Lucky don't go there, if you had been able to ever give her what she needed she wouldn't have slept with me." he said looking smugly at his brother. "First Emily, I can still recall your crush on her. Then Sarah, now Elizabeth. Even Gia, I knew you wanted her. Yet in the end you had none of them, not truly."

"You know, I can't stand Morgan, but I do agree with him about this. If you slept with Elizabeth, knowing she was mentally ill, you did rape her." he said softly. "And that makes you a lot like your father, a sick man who got his jollies off on hurting a woman, and we both know why. She doesn't love you, never did. In her right mind, Elizabeth would NEVER HAVE slept with you. Whatever Jason is doing to you business wise, it is nothing more than you deserve."

"Don't try to take the higher ground, little brother." he sneered, "After all if it weren't for you, she wouldn't have been raped either time."

Lucky turned around and attacked Nik, soon the two brothers were rolling around knocking priceless artifacts off the tables and bookshelves as they got in a punch here, a kick to the groin there. By the time Sam came down to find out what was going on, the room was destroyed.

"What are the two of you doing?" she snapped.

"Nothing that concerns you." spat out Nik. "If you want to keep staying here, go to your room and stay there."

Lucky got up, holding his shirt sleeve to his nose and said "Fuck you, Nik. I hope you end up just like the rest of your nut job family."

"Get off my Island. And Lucky just a reminder, your father is a rapist too." he said then seeing Sam said "Either go back to your room or make yourself useful."

Sam scurried to her room, worried about the wild temper that Nik seemed to be exhibiting then with a smile left a voice mail message on Jason's cell phone certain the real Jason would come over and rescue her.

Hearing a chuckle, she turned and saw Jerry standing there. "No, no I know you are dead."

"To quote Twain, reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." he drawled just as they heard a breathless Spinelli knocking on her door begging to be let in.

"Goddess, please, you have to let me protect you, the evil one is not dead, he made a deal with Carl..."

Jerry pulled him into the room then tossed him into a chair. "Now what were you saying? Oh, yes, a deal with Carly. Want to know a secret?... No? Well, aren't we spoilsports. I don't intend to uphold my end. She did give me a two for one deal though. Sweet Sam and the computer geek"

Sam shivered, she could see it in his eyes, Jerry intended to kill her. "So, sweet Sam, not going to pull the pregnancy card. My guess is you are worried I might tell the geek what you did this afternoon, but I will let you give him the news."

"What news?" asked Spinelli looking between the two of them.

"Sammy here went to visit a small clinic on Courtland street, it specializes in abortions." he said then saw the kid's wounded eyes. "Wait, was the loser Lucky right, was there another possible father? Were you dipping your wick in what you wrongly thought was Stone Cold's preserve? I didn't think you had it in you, Mr. Spinelli, or was it in you, Sam?" he mocked.

"I would never betray my master that way," he retorted then looked at Sam. "I thought you wanted a baby?"

"Oh, she does. Just not Spencer's. Now, I am going to make you an offer, Sammy. You help me pick apart what is left of your half brother's estate and I will let you live." said Jerry leaning back against the chest of drawers. "And Mr. Spinelli comes with me as a shall we describe it as insurance. Not because I believe you give a damn about the geek, but because I set up a program that exposes EVERYTHING, AND I DO MEAN E-VE-RY-THING."

"And?" asked Sam trying to work out a way to kill him without exposing herself.

"You will need his help to stop it, and yes it can be stopped. You, just do as I say and we shall get along just fine."

!!*!!

Jason lead Elizabeth into Audrey's house and saw the elderly woman talking to her son and stepson. "Where are the boys?"

"Asleep, upstairs." said Audrey. "They plan on showing the two of you the gifts they bought while we were traveling tomorrow, early."

"I am heading to my apartment, dad are you staying with me?" asked Steven as he came down the stairs. "Elizabeth, I just talked to Patrick, your friend Robin is looking for you."

"I will call her in the morning, for now, I just want my bed." she groaned. Jason knew that it might piss some of them off, but he picked her up and said "Which room?"

Audrey smiled as Elizabeth didn't fight Jason's concern and said "Up the stairs, on the right."

"And Jason, I had them drop your bag off here as well. There is a long sofa in Steve's study. From what I heard he always found it to be quite comfortable." she said only to frown as even Elizabeth chuckled along with Jeff and Steven. "What?"

"Uh, grams, he only said that to get you back for kicking him out of your bedroom when you were mad at him." said Steven. "I slept on it a few years ago, that thing is like cement."

"Then I will be fine. The sofa in your sister's old studio was even worse and I had a bullet wound." said Jason as Elizabeth snuggled in closer and fell asleep. Jason carried her into her room and eased her out of her scrubs and into some pajamas, before tucking her into bed.

Leaning down, he kissed her cheek and said "I love you."

"Uhm." was her only answer as she cuddled up to her pillow. Then when he was at the door about to turn off the light she giggled then said "I love you too, Jason."

"Go to sleep." he said walking back down the stairs, to find only Audrey waiting.

"Are you sure you will be okay?" she asked now feeling guilty for not only offering it to Jason but all the times that Steve had slept on that dark leather thing.

"Yes, this is better anyhow. I have two of the very few men I trust outside but I would still feel safer knowing that …" He was happy they had seemed to be at a truce but he knew at some point Audrey Hardy was going to take a good look at him.

"They would have to go through you to get to them." she said pointing to the upper floors. "Good night, Jason."

"Good night Mrs. Hardy." he said before checking out the sofa. He soon knew that Dr. Hardy was right, the thing was hard as a brick.

!!*!!

Robin and Maxie were sitting in the living room eating the food that had been ordered from Kelly's. "Anna, Robert, Dad, Mom and Frisco. Who is this one for?"

"Patrick?" asked Robin then looked at it and said "No, he doesn't like the chili there and I know he doesn't like his grilled cheese on rye."

"The only person I know that ever ate that was..." Maxie turned white then started trembling. "Georgie, Georgie likes that sandwich."

Robin looked down the said softly "Wait, whatever this is, don't. It will only hurt more if you are wrong."

"But it HAS TO BE. I mean, look at it. We heard about Dr. Quartermaine, we SAW AJ and Elizabeth." she said getting excited then seeing her phone ringing, answered it quickly only to suddenly deflate when she realized it was Carly looking for Spinelli.

Snapping that she didn't know or care where he was, she felt sick when she realized that she had done something that was going to hurt the one person who had truly always been there for her. "Oh my god, what I have done. Spinelli."

"Call him, maybe..."

"NO, you don't get it. Georgie, she liked him. And I..." Maxie rushed up the stairs to her room throwing herself on her bed while Robin sat downstairs not sure if she should hope her cousin was alive and able to forgive or that Maxie for once had to deal with consequences, even if this time they were accidental.

"Robin, do you know where you uncle is?" asked Robert as he joined her on the sofa taking the box with his name on it. Frisco and the two women soon sat down joining them. Pulling Anna off to the side, Robin told her what Maxie was thinking.

Looking at Anna, she whispered "Oh my god, she is alive? Where is she? Who grabbed her and why?"

"I don't know. All I do know is that Monica and Mac were chasing down leads after Jason and AJ ran into a dead end." she told her daughter.

Mac entered the house and had Robin hugging him tightly then asking "Where is Georgie?"

"She wanted to check on Alan, then she is driving my car here. She just needed a bit of space while I told everyone. It's a long and complicated story. Where is Maxie?" he asked looking around.

"You ordered Georgie's favorite sandwich, it sort of gave it away and she freaked."

"Can you go and get her, I need to tell all of you at once." he said then sat down on the sofa while they others just stared. Once Maxie had sat down, he said "Yes, Georgie is alive."

"Where is she?" asked Maxie needing to see her sister.

"Checking on Alan, she has been the only thing close to medical attention he has been getting for the last eight months. Let me start from the beginning." he said wearily.

Running through it for the third time, he saw the shock on Maxie's face when she heard about Jerry Jacks. Telling them about Emily, he saw Robin tear up and said "Georgie was the only person able to help her, she feels some real guilt about it."

Nodding in understanding, Robin let him continue. When he got to the part about Georgie, the gun and Johnny Zachara, Robin and Maxie both laughed at the mental image of the mobster being caught by their Georgie.

"What happened next?" asked Maxie as he told them about Georgie's almost rape and that her attacker had been dealt with. Frisco and Robert both got what that meant and didn't push it while Robin thought out loud "It was a good thing Elizabeth was there."

"Yes, it was." he replied then told them about taking Alan to the plane, the medical equipment and then the long flight straight home. "We had intended to stop in Seattle, but with the shooting, we decided it would be better to head here."

Hearing footsteps, they all looked up only to see Johnny. "Is Georgie here?"

"No, why?" asked a suspicious Maxie.

"Elizabeth was worried about how she was doing. That's all." he snapped then went to Mac and said "I think Jerry is here in town. I just saw Sam and she was acting strange down by the docks."

Lucky was still furious when he got home, tossing his room, he heard a noise when he went to take a shower. Waking up later, he found himself bruised and badly beaten on the arms, face and torso. Wincing as he pulled on a t-shirt he called Lulu for help getting to the hospital.

On the drive there, he told Lulu about Nik beating him up and tossing him off the Island.

"Do you really think our brother did this?" she asked "It sounds more like something Jason would order done."

"But right now, Jason loathes our brother, not me." he said confidently. Lulu wasn't so sure, she had no doubt that Jason had had her brother beat up and that her family was about to go to war with itself because of Elizabeth Webber.

Jerry tied Spinelli to the chair in the dungeon and said "You my little hacker are going to be busy finding my money. If you want to live you will do exactly as I say."

"You don't scare me, Jason will come and get me out of here." he said confidently.

"You don't get it kid. Jason knew before you left GH I was looking for you. Miss Jones more than likely told him. So my guess is that you were offered up as a sacrificial lamb."

"Maxie will make sure I am rescued." he said "Even right now when things are bad between us, she won't let me die."

"Really, are you sure about that?" he asked amused. "My guess is that Maxie feels a tremendous amount of guilt about you right now."

"She made a simple mistake." he said. "She knows that I will forgive her."

"But will her sister, from what I was given to understand the younger Jones girl had a bit of a crush on you. Now that her sister is home and alive, I wonder just how loyal to you Maxie will be?" he said then told him. "No, I would suggest you don't try anything funny. I will kill you then your precious Sam without a moments hesitation."

"I am not worried. Like I said, Jason will come." Hearing the loud explosion, Jerry grabbed his arm and dragged him to the docks shoving him on a hidden boat. "Really are you sure about that?"

Maneuvering around, he saw the shuttle boats and supply boat from the Island both on fire. "My guess is that someone isn't very happy with Mr. Cassadine."

"Why would..." Spinelli just couldn't figure out what Jerry was talking about.

"Blow up the boat?" Seeing the kids confusion, he said "Your blind spot regarding Elizabeth Webber is amazingly stupid. It's simple, Jason is furious with the Prince."

"Why would he be, Nik didn't have contact with Jake?" Jerry couldn't believe how stupid this boy was.

Laughing Jerry said "You are an idiot, Morgan loves Elizabeth. Here, read this."

Looking at the folded paper, Spinelli read the note and he wept for his goddess. "How could he, she would give up anything to be with him and he treated her this way. Fair Samantha has proven her love again and again, yet he would chose to believe the woman who lied and kept his son from him? The woman who seduced him while he was grieving for the love of his life?"

"Wow, you really are nuts." said Jerry as they arrived to the shore. Seeing Carly waiting he said "Get in."

"I can't. I need you help. I need to rescue my son from his biological father." she said sure that Jerry would help, if she needed to she could offer him money.

"Carly, you don't get a choice. Get in before we are seen. I will let you off when we arrived down by the towers."

Seeing Spinelli she said "Did you get rid of Elizabeth yet?"

"No, Sam is first. She will run if she thinks I am after her, and Elizabeth won't."

"That cow will just hide behind Jason, like she always does." she groaned then listened to his questions. Getting an uneasy feeling Carly hoped he wasn't going to do what she thought. If Spinelli traced that money back to her, she was a goner. But seriously, she had been married to Lorenzo, it should have gone to her over Jerry.

Cody slipped into the Hardy residence and gave Jason his report. "What next?"

"Who do you have on Johnny?" Jason was worried that Jerry might take out his double.

"Alverdo and Smits." he said. "They are under strict orders to keep the slut puppies out."

"Fine, just deal with the next item. Just make sure that no one is on board." Jason knew that Ethan had been living on the boat.

As the rusted bucket called the Haunted Star floated out to sea, Jason slipped back to the sofa then hearing footsteps, saw Cam and Jake slipping down to see him. "Jason?"

"Hey, what is wrong?" His heart ached as the two boys came into the room holding hands.

"May we talk to you. We waited until Mommy and Grams were asleep." asked Cam after looking at Jake.

Picking them up and tucking them under the blanket, Jason sat down and said "Okay?"

"I hears Mommy and you saying you want to be our daddy. Can you be our daddy?" he asked holding his breath. "Be a daddy who doesn't get sick or leave?"

"I will promise to try." he said picking them up and sitting them on his lap, needing the contact. "I will be here as long as you to want me. I promise."

"Good, cause we talked to Grandma Monica and we want to keep her too." he said beaming at Jason. While the boys told him about their epic adventure on the train, they slowly fell asleep./ Knowing he should carry them to their bed, Jason found himself tucking them in against his body and covering them up.

Early the next morning, that was how Elizabeth found her sons and Jason. Wiping away the tear, she said to her grams. "I want to trust him, it is just hard taking the leap of faith, you know what I mean?"

"You are getting there, just give it time. You both have a lot of healing to do." she said kissing Elizabeth who then curled up on the huge chair near her grandfather's desk.

!!*!!

Maxie woke up feeling cramped and wondering why she was asleep on the sofa. Stretching she saw the empty to-go container and went to find her sister. As she walked through the entire house she was shocked to find no Georgie but the open door to the attic. Going up as quietly as possible, she was still stunned to see her little sister curled up on her old mattress and covered with her blankets on the floor.

"Georgie?" She almost didn't believe what her eyes were showing her.

Not getting an answer, she heard the phone ringing and then her father's voice then the sound of others waking up. Moving in closer, she saw the dark circles and left to let her sister sleep.

Georgie waited until she no longer heard Maxie then sat up and said "You can come out now?"

Sheepishly Johnny did so. "Why are you here?"

"Look, I am just worried about Jerry coming after you." In truth, Johnny knew that was an excuse.

Georgie started laughing then saw he was serious. "You aren't kidding. You do know that Anna and Robert and my father are here. I think my mother is asleep in her old room and I think Frisco is in the den."

"So, you are still up here." he said defiantly.

"Johnny, that count is 3 current WSB agents, my Mom is actually a very successful PI and my dad was the police commissioner. Do you really think Jerry is that dumb?"

"Actually I do." said Mac from the doorway. "He grabbed Spinelli, at least according to Carly Jacks."

!!*!!

Jason thanked Cody when he informed him who was at the door; then said "Get rid of her."

Walking to the front porch of the Hardy house, Cody told Carly that Jason didn't care.

"No, I want to talk to Jason, you let me in there or else?"

"Or else what, Carly?" asked Elizabeth walking onto the porch. "You woke up my sons, go away. If Jason wants to talk to you, he will be in contact."

"No, he won't because you will pull your usual needy whiny bit out and then pull the daddy card."

"Wow project much." said Elizabeth leaning back. "I repeat, leave, Carly."

"I am not leaving until I talk to Jason." With the Carly moved forward and tried to push Elizabeth out of the way only to be slapped. "You are going to pay for that"

Carly pulled out her phone and called the police. When the officer arrived, he listened to both of them then told Carly "You can be arrested for trespassing."

"No, I can't, Jason won't allow it." Carly was sure of that, after all Jason was only confused.

Jason was inside, he had just gotten to the great room and walked out on the porch pulling Elizabeth close. Kissing her cheek, he said "Carly, I heard, I don't care. Go home and let the police take care of it."

"JASIN!" shouted the voice from the car that was pulling up. "You have to help me, Jerry threatened me last night."

"Really, well here is Patrol Officer Berhan, I am sure he will be quite glad to take your statement, now if you will excuse us, we are going to have breakfast with our sons."

Ignoring the complaints, Jason and Elizabeth re-entered the house while the two women steamed. Sam then went to find Nik who was her only ally right now while Carly went to find another way to get through to Jason. And she knew exactly how to do it.

Twenty minutes later, she found Lucky and was shocked. "What happened to you?"

"My brother and Nik is going to pay." Lucky was already making plans to take his brother down.

Jason took the phone that Mrs. Hardy offered him and said "Thanks, I will be right there, I have a lot I want to say to Mr. O'Brien.

TBC

TBC


	15. Chapter 15 Best Laid Plans

_**Chapter 15 Best Laid Plans**_

When Jason entered the hospital room, he saw his alter ego trying to sit up. "I know you are angry, but please let me explain."

"Angry? You think I am angry?" he said looking at Johnny. "Do you have any idea of the emotional damage that you did to Elizabeth, that my stupidity allowed you to do. You swore you could handle it, but instead you fucked the woman who hurt my son, with MY FACE. Elizabeth saw the two of you together, there is nothing you can say that will make this right."

"Jason, I know, all I can say is I am sorry." Johnny truly was regretful but he knew that he had done the one thing that Jason wouldn't forgive.

"Johnny, why on earth would you ever even think of sleeping with the woman, you knew what Sam did to Jake. Even thinking you were me, how could you possibly rationalize doing that?" asked Jason shaking his head.

"I can't. I know that isn't an answer, but all I can say is that I did."

"And to keep on sleeping with her, AFTER getting your memory back? Did you once think about how she would react, that she would refuse to believe it wasn't me?" he asked in disgust. "She was here along with Carly. And what you did, the problems it is going to cause, they aren't going to give up."

Johnny got mad and after taking a sip of water snapped. "Well if you had grown some balls years ago, none of this would have happened. You knew Carly was a user and made excuses for her, you let her do whatever the hell she wanted and then cleaned up the mess. This time though, the mess is too big for you to clean up."

"I know that, but I thought I was helping my best friend come to accept that I loved Elizabeth." he said sitting down. "I had no idea of some of the crap she was doing."

"Don't you dare go there, you knew. You just ignored it. Can't have Carly growing up, facing the truth that you don't want her. Why not, after all she is your most devoted friend. Your ego likes to be stroked and Carly was the biggest stroker of them. _No Jason, you aren't a bad person, no Jason, you are perfect, no Jason, it is all Elizabeth's fault_. In truth if you had just once fought for her, none of this would still be going on." retorted Johnny.

"Yes, I know that, but since I couldn't have …" Jason was not going to take this from him, he knew he had screwed up. However he had thought he had nothing left.

"That is bullshit, Morgan. You could have had Elizabeth, you tossed a great chance away years ago. Then took up with stripper barbie and the skank." said Johnny. "Women who wanted you as a prize, something to wave in front of the good people of Port Charles and that you were rich had a lot to do with it. Don't go thinking that it was anything else. Take a damn good look. They all went after rich men. Sam only took up with Spencer to get back at Elizabeth and to stay close to your son."

"This isn't about my screw ups, I am dealing with them. This is about you, I mean, fuck. Johnny, I ..."

"Hard to blame me when you feel like you were the one who made the mistake." he said ironically. "Yes, I figured that part out. Jason, you made Elizabeth into this fragile beauty who should be locked up in a tower and protected from the real world, when of all the women in your life, she is the most capable of dealing with the real world."

"I just... I look at her and want to … I just want to..." he couldn't even explain it.

"You want to be her hero, why don't you try being a flesh and blood man she can love, instead." said Johnny. "She knows the real you, has no illusions about what you do and who you are, that is only in your head. You seem to think that if she thinks of you as a better person, you are. Well, Jason. Letting those in your life attack her, like they did. That did more damage than any of your enemies."

"I know. Did you know they were using my birth to try and hurt her?" he said. "They were using my past, things I didn't even know about to make her feel like I never loved her."

"Jason, if you have even just once dealt with them, she would never have felt like that. But you feel responsible, feel the need to be everyone's hero. Why don't you try being her hero instead."

"When did you get so smart, certainly not while you were playing games with Sam and Carly?" he snapped. "I know that. I spent so long, trying to make her think good of me. Do you remember when Sonny faked his death, she walked out saying that Sonny and Carly were my first, last and always. That hurt so bad."

"So you took up with the male amazon to prove her wrong?" he asked in disbelief. "The two of you need some serious help. She is just as screwed up as you are."

"We are working on it. Right now, I have to clear the decks, so to speak. Tell me what you know?" he asked sitting down. "And Johnny, you are still getting a beating when you get out of here."

With a grin, he said "Bring it on, now as to Carly..."

~~~*~~~

Georgie sat on her mattress glaring at Johnny Zachara after Mac had gone to see what Felicia wanted, then asked "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be... I don't know, with Lulu or have you moved on to someone else?"

"Nope, not seeing anyone right now. Lulu was about gaining my freedom, but once I had it, things went to hell for us." He winced recalling how her sister had been a small part of it. Johnny had been feeling trapped and had unconsciously using Maxie to end things. Then his mess with Olivia. He was grateful for that relationship, he had started it as just sex, but he had cared about the dark haired woman and tried to make it into more.

"Shame, but WHY ARE YOU HERE?" she asked emphasizing the here.

"I honestly don't know. Morgan has people on Elizabeth and the boys. AJ is at the police station and that leaves you unprotected. We both know you are going to run."

Glaring at him, she said "I just want to be alone, do you get that?"

"Yes, that is rather clear, considering you are avoiding your sister and cousin. Your parent as well. The question is why?" he asked leaning back against some kind of trunk.

"I am not avoiding anyone. I let Maxie leave so I could question you." she said then stood. Walking to the stairs, she said "Now if you will excuse me, I have to go see why Mac was up here."

"Go, run. Avoid answering the question. But you might want to recall that Maxie and Robin might still be here."

"No, Robin drove home last night." she said. She had watched from down the street waiting for her cousin to leave. She wasn't really sure why, but the idea of dealing with either of them was beyond her right now.

Robin was getting Emma dressed, while Patrick tried to take it all in. "So Jerry had them?"

"Yes. Georgie was taking care of Emily and Alan. I can't imagine how she is feeling." said a tired Robin. "I was going to head back over there but when I called; Uncle Mac said to let her be for now. That having too many people around might be hard for her to deal with."

"I could use your help, anyhow. I need to talk to this man masquerading as Jason. How well did you know him?" he asked.

"Not that well. I mainly knew that he was a guard of Sonny's. That he later betrayed Sonny but if Jason has him working for him, then obviously he trusts him so that might not be the truth." she said shrugging as they went to eat breakfast. Looking out the window at the house next door, Robin said "I wonder if Elizabeth will try to get her house back?"

"No. She is going to stay with her grandmother for a while until she buys a new one."

"I wonder what is going to happen with Jason and her?" asked Robin. "Hopefully they finally get things straightened out."

"I don't know, it is clear that we are missing a lot. I just want Elizabeth, happy whether that is with Jason or not, that is up to them." he said then asked her to take Emma with her. "I have a quick stop to make."

"Where?" she asked putting Emma in her highchair.

"Jake's." he said with a small grin.

"So either you have another woman or you have been driven to seek out Coleman's company. I think I like the idea of another woman more." she teased as she kissed him goodbye.

"No, I just want to give him a heads up before he runs into the real Morgan. With his rather pissed off attitude for the fake Morgan, it might get a little messy and I owe the guy." he said recalling the day he saw him lay into Spinelli.

Arriving at the dark bar, he saw the man in his office, telling some delivery guy to cut down on his order in the future. "Belay that order, trust me, Coleman." he said.

After the Bud man had left, Coleman took the invoice and said "Did Morgan not make it?"

"That isn't it. Turns out, Morgan wasn't Morgan and hasn't been since July." he said smirking when Coleman's eyes narrowed. "He switched places with a guard after plastic surgery. Man lost his memory then seemed to believe he was Jason. It was he who was sleeping with Sam."

"Where was the real one?"

"Apparently out rescuing his family. His father, his brother, and Georgie Jones."

"Leaving Elizabeth unprotected?" asked Coleman not sure he liked this version much better.

"No, that was what the guard was supposed to be doing. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

Jason entered the bar, then hearing voices walked into the office only to see Coleman glare. Looking at Patrick in amusement he said "I heard from Cody. I just wanted to say. Thank you."

Coleman said "I was only doing what I felt was right."

"I know, and I appreciate that. Now, I have a couple of questions. When Spinelli was here, he destroyed a computer, do you still have it?"

Taking it out of his filing cabinet, Coleman silently gave it to him. "And can I see the tape of you tossing them out. Then we need to talk. Drake, can you stay?"

Nodding in agreement, they saw Coleman go to his security system and find the right date. Showing them the tape, he said "Do you want to see the one of the brothers Grimm as well?"

"Grimm?" asked Patrick.

"Dudley Do-right and his arrogant pain in the ass brother." replied Coleman as he showed them the second tape.

Jason watched then said "Coleman, I have been looking for proof that Lucky or Sam had known that the Russians knew about my son. Did you ever heard anything connected to my business."

Coleman thought about it then said "No, at least not about that, but there is one thing you should know. Talk to your pal Carly, she had Mr. Spinelli accessing some funds last year. From the way they were talking, it wasn't her money."

Swearing silently, Jason said "Carly is not my pal, she was another one I have distanced myself from. Anything else?"

"Just this, there are a few things you should know about your blond pal." he said then after Patrick left he gave Jason book and verse on Carly. When Jason had finished counting to ten, he said "Thanks for telling me."

"I should have told you before, I just figured you would ignore it." he said. "Miss Webber, how is she?"

"Better, she is at home with the boys." said Jason getting ready to leave then stopped and looked at the man behind the desk. "Coleman, again. Thank you for what you did."

"Morgan, I didn't do it for thanks. I am well aware of what happened in the past with the two of you and my part in it. She is a classy young lady. I know you aren't scared of me, but don't hurt her, again."

Jason just nodded as he walked out the door. Stopping at the entrance he said "I don't intend to."

~~~*~~~

AJ's hands were shaking as he stood outside the door watching Jax try to get Michael to talk to him. The blond hadn't said a word to his stepfather since the man entered the room.

Inside, Jax said "I am sorry."

That did it, Michael looked up and said in surprise "Why, you were right, you have been all along."

"No, I just... was so angry." Jax was sick to realize that since finding out about Carly and Sonny having sex in the limo he had been so angry even if he couldn't admit it verbally. "I blamed you for your parents. You hate to be called a kid, but that is what you are, essentially you are a boy."

Flushing Michael said "You know, you were nice to me, before. But you always expected me to own up to my mistakes, to be fair. It was so much easier to follow Mom's rules or Da-Sonny's rules. They didn't care about things like that. I resented you because of that."

"I only wanted more for you." he said. "I know that you heard about Georgie Jones and Alan Quartermaine. How do you feel about it?"

"Georgie, is okay. I mean she was just Georgie, you know." he said with a shrug, "And Alan is my grandfather, but I never knew him as that, not really."

"Did you ever wish it was different?" asked Jax.

"When I was sitting down in the cell." he said. "I mean who if Mom hadn't divorced AJ, what would have happened to me?"

"AJ, do you ever think of him?" asked Jax while the blond man in the hall held his breath.

"Yes, and no. I mean I get so confused about him." said Michael. "I spent a long time thinking last night. About Mom, and Sonny and AJ. Did Jason make it?"

Jax knew what he had to do and told him the truth about Jason and the man who took his place.

"Why would Uncle Jason do that?" asked Michael confused.

"Someone harmed his son, he was trying to protect him. This man taking his place was the only way he could go look for his kidnapper." said Jax then seeing the look in Micheal's eyes asked "What's wrong?"

"That was because Mom and Sonny would be too selfish and would try and hurt Elizabeth and her son." he said bitterly. "I know, I mean I was jealous of Jake, when I first heard."

"Why?" asked Jax knowing that Michael had to talk about it. Tom Hardy had given him a loose script to follow with his stepson and Jax would do whatever was needed.

"Because Mom always said I would come first. Then I saw Mom, when I shot Uncle Jason. I got what she did, you know. She didn't want me to accept that Uncle Jason could have a family, because it would mean she had to. But Uncle Jason is just that. My uncle. I don't even remember the time I was living with him. Mom talks about it all the time, but to me he has always been my Uncle. Why would I be that mad?"

"Errr.." Jax didn't know what to say but Michael continued.

"Because Mom wanted me mad. She wanted me to attack a little baby, why? They are both sick, aren't they?" he asked looking at Jax who nodded yes. "Last night, I thought about it. Mom married you, but she never encouraged Morgan or I to think of you as our dad, or even our step-dad."

"I finally figured that out, myself." said Jax with a wry grin.

"She was still dreaming of Uncle Jason all this time. I wonder about Sonny, did she still want Uncle Jason when married to him? I know how she operates, so I can't help thinking about AJ. He used to claim that they were lying about him, then he kidnapped me and I cut what little emotional ties I had, but Jax, didn't Sonny and Mom kidnap me too?" he asked.

"I need to tell you something. AJ's story about the meat hook, it was true." he said. Seeing Michael wince, he asked "What?"

"There was a time two days ago, I would have considered that right. That Sonny did that to get what he wanted, but it isn't right." he said. "Sonny didn't want me, he wanted the idea of a kid. I was revenge for the baby Mom lost."

Jax said "I wish I could say you were wrong, but I don't know."

Michael looked down at the handcuffs keeping him attached to the desk then asked "Does Uncle Jason hate me?"

"No, he doesn't. I think he understands but I do know that he thinks you need help." admitted Jax. "He also thinks that it might be best if the help doesn't come from him."

"No, if I want to deal with this, I am going to have to fix it myself, huh." he said grimly. "Alexis said she would be my attorney, but I don't know why."

"Because she cares, just like the rest of us do. There is someone else who wants to help, but he isn't sure that you will want his. My brother grabbed Alan, you know, but he wasn't the first person he grabbed from here."

"Who then?" asked Michael then saw his biological father entering the room. His first instinct was to reject his help, but he had to wonder how much of that was Sonny and his mother talking. "AJ, why are you here?"

"If you want help, real help. Your Uncle Jason thought I might be the best person for the job." he said looking at him son and was astonished at how much he looked like him. "Jason was with me, rescuing Alan and Georgie when we got word of what was going on."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but what is in it for you?" he asked his father looking him in the eye.

"Nothing. Just hoping we can recreate the bond that got broken so many years ago. I found this place, Jax and your Uncle agree that it is the best place for you right now. All charges will be dropped if you finish the program."

"How did you arrange that?" he asked then saw Jax pointing AJ to the empty chair.

"Tom Hardy knows the man who runs it, I think you are a little young to recall Keven Collins, but he is one of the doctors." said AJ. "I would be there with you, but you would be there as a patient."

"What kind of place is it?" he asked his hands trembling. "Is is an insane asylum of some sorts."

"No." said AJ with a sad laugh. "More like a rehabilitation center. The first six months, you can't leave. That is because they go pretty deep into your psyche to treat you. After that it is just like a regular school. I won't lie, there are going to be days you loath it, probably weeks you despise it, but Michael, it will help you."

"How long do we have to stay?" he asked. "And do I get to see my family?"

"Yes, they can visit. Jax and I talked about it. He is more than willing to bring Jocelyn and Morgan out to visit you, same thing for Kristina and Molly if you want."

"Mom and grandma?" he asked.

"If you want, after the first six months, but Dr. Collins thinks that it might do you some good not to have your mother around at first." he said holding his breath, worried.

"If I start, she can't just pull me out, can she." he asked.

"No, and there is something else. NOTHING AND I MEAN nothing you discuss there, can be used against you." Taking a deep breath, Jax closed his eyes and took a leap of faith before adding "Including what happened to Claudia."

Seeing his fear, AJ reached out for Micheal's hand. "The man masquerading as your Uncle told us everything. Michael, it was in defense of your mother, not even Johnny Zachara blames you." he said.

"How do you know that?" he asked doubtfully.

"Because he told me so. He said he couldn't handle seeing you, but that if the situations were reversed he would have reacted the same way." said AJ who then said "You do have other options, a full accounting here with a trial. You would probably end up in Shadybrook until you were 21, Or we can leave. I can take you to Sonny's Island."

"NO!" snapped Michael. "I want nothing to do with anything associated with him."

"Fine, that's fine." said Jax. "Michael, your Uncle Jason is going to stop and see you later, but you should know, he isn't going to be involved."

"I get that, I mean no matter what, when I shot that man, I thought it was him." said Michael. "I can get why he would feel that way."

"No, that isn't it." said AJ. "We talked about it before this even happened. Michael, he had decided to was best long before that if he stepped out of your life. Mainly because of your mother, but he said he saw the same sort of dependance on him as she has. We both know that you were jealous of the idea of your Uncle having his own life, and it might be a good idea for you..."

"To let him go. I get that. I mean, I know that he is a father, I just haven't had to face it, not really." said Michael ruefully. "I get why he might be worried."

"We are going to come back tonight, do you need anything?" asked AJ. "We should tell you, that they know who tried to take a shot at you. It was a man hired by Max's dad. Max dealt with it, you are going to be fine."

"Thanks." said Michael as the guard came in to lead him back to his cell. Once there, he sat down and tried to process all he had been told, and when a guard showed up and said his mother was waiting, he refused to go and accept the visit. "Tell her I am asleep."

"Fine, a mother is always a good thing to have in your corner, kid."

"I am sure that is what Hera's kids thought," he said with a snort.

~~~*~~~

Carly stomped out of the jail, furious that they had refused to let her down to see Michael. She just wanted to see that her little man was okay. Heading back to her hotel, she found Jax talking to Marty about new guests and plans for the huge wedding reception they had in the ballroom that week.

"Yes, Marty, If you will excuse us, I need to speak to Mr. Jacks." said Carly who never saw his eyes look to Jax for the okay to go.

"Carly there is nothing for us to talk about. Alexis said she served you with papers, sign them and let this be over. For the kids sake." Jax wished just once she would be an adult.

"No, now that Jason is home, we can all go back to normal. If you want to sell me your shares in the hotel, fine. But I am not selling you mine."

"Fine, then I will talk to Kate, she is more than willing to takeover my shares." He knew that the editor was living in Paris, but he would be more than glad to sell them to her.

"Over my dead body." she snarked. "What would she know about running a hotel?"

"This from you. Carly you knew absolutely nothing when we became partners. Kate has a degree from Princeton and has successfully taken two different magazines to the top. What are your bonafides? Two clubs that you ran into the ground. A cosmetics business that you also ruined, that out of jealousy of Elizabeth Webber."

"Excuse me? What? How did you come up with that one?"

"I saw the pictures, years ago. Brenda was curious when she came back and I contacted Nik and got a hold of them. You saw what you wanted to see and ruined Deception."

"No that was Laura, she went to a padded cell and I lost my company." she snapped.

"You know what, I could care less. Just go away Carly, move on." he said turning to walk away.

"Not until you give me my kids back." she said then moved closer and said "Don't make me ask Jason to help me get them from you."

"You do that Carly. And when he laughs in your face, come back and see me so that I can say I told you so." he said. "Carly, you are still living in the past. Jason, the real Jason hasn't been saving your rear since May. His trip to Mexico, wasn't about Michael, it was about using it to switch places with Johnny."

"You don't know that. And Jason is just confused, AJ did something to him." she said. "You will see, Jason is ALWAYS on my side, we are soul mates."

~~~*~~~

Johnny was lying in the hospital bed when Bobbie Spencer entered the room. "I want the truth, when did Jason and you switch places?"

"IN Mexico, but we had been planning it long before that. I had the surgery in February, and it took too long to heal for me to come any sooner. Why are you so curious, Mrs. Spencer?"

"I have to find the truth, before AJ destroys what little Carly has left." she said pacing back and forth. Then glaring at him she asked "Why did you sleep with Carly?"

"I owed her, she fucked me over years ago." he said bluntly then added on. "Why are you so worried about Carly, shouldn't you be worried about Michael? He is the one who needs the help."

"I know, why do you think I am asking you these things. Carly is Micheal's only hope, god knows what will happen if AJ gets a hold of him. And what do you mean by that first remark?" she snapped,

"Your daughter and her blond lying bitch of a best friend almost got me killed. Courtney knew that I was aware of how Carly and she were manipulating Jason. I was looking into Alcazar, then next thing I knew I was given a death sentence by Sonny because of something his sister did."

Blinking rapidly, Bobbie said "That doesn't excuse what you did."

"What I did? All I did was give Carly her deepest darkest fantasy, sleeping with Jason again. Too bad it wasn't really Jason. Funny, she told Courtney she would never forget how good it was, but she couldn't tell the difference between us? Sounds more like she was living in a fantasy world."

"Still, you had no right..." she huffed. "She might have straightened things out with Jax if you hadn't.

"Maybe not. You might be right there, but honestly her getting outed, it might help Jason. Since she has hidden her lust for years. Do you honestly think she thinks Elizabeth was worse for Jason than Sam or Courtney? No, she knew they would be manipulated into letting her be first. They weren't a threat, Elizabeth and Jason had to lie about the parentage of their own child because of her interference. Why?"

"Carly knew that..." Bobbie closed her eyes and knew she had been about to tell a lie. "But she still lied."

"They did, because of the danger to their child, not from his enemies, but from your family and his friends. Think about it, Mrs. Spencer. What is so terrible about Jason and Elizabeth being together? And why aren't you so indigent about your nephew Nik taking advantage of Elizabeth's illness to sleep with her? Why aren't you so angry with Lucky because he was lying as well?"

"They didn't know. I asked Lucky." she said then say in his eyes that her nephew had known. Hearing footsteps, she saw Jason entering along with Elizabeth and just said "I have to go. Elizabeth, for what it is worth, I am glad you are alive. Maybe some day you can give me the explanation I deserve."

Elizabeth touched Jason on the arm and walked back into the hall and stopped Bobbie. "Bobbie, why would I owe you anything?"

"Because you lied to me. You lied to all of us." she said. "We took you in to our family, gave you a place to belong, a job when you needed it and helped you after your rape, yet you do this to Lucky."

"Bobbie, I was never a Spencer, just a convenient place to dump Lucky's problems. As for belonging, I do have a family. One that at one point you were pretty eager to join at least according to my father. And as for the job, I think I more than paid that one many times over. And the rape. Did you ever stop to think that if Lucky hadn't stood me up, I wouldn't have been in the park that night? And what about all the things that Lucky did to me?"

"He loved you, and yes, he made mistakes, but that was because of his problems. You cheated on him with the man he loathes the most and his brother."

"Bobbie, Sam who endangered my children, and he did know. Maxie who was his drug supplier and Sarah, you do remember his sleeping with my sister. I owe Lucky nothing, and by the way, Luke, Lulu and Laura knew about Jake."

When she had walked back into the hospital room, Bobbie stood there and stared never seeing the man come up behind her until she turned around and said "Lucky, who did that to you?"

"Nik, and he is going to pay." he said before limping to the elevator. "You should know, I was the father of Sam McCall's baby. But Dr. Lee had a call from the free clinic on Courtland street, she is no longer pregnant."

Shocked, the red head, walked down the hall and seeing Monica leaving her husband's room said "I need to talk. I am all screwed up in the head. And before I do something stupid, talk me down."

Looking at her friend, Monica said "I would say you have already been doing stupid things running all over town, attacking Jax, AJ and even Alexis. Why aren't you forcing your daughter to sit down and face her mistakes. She is the one who caused this, her and Sonny."

"She is going to lose her only hope of getting better if Michael goes away, I can't let that happen." she said softly as they entered the chapel.

Monica forced her into a chair and said "If he stays, Michael will end up in jail or in a locked down psych ward. You should be more worried about what he needs, Bobbie."

"I am going to lose her. Jason isn't going to help this time, and I am going to lose her again."

"Bobbie, this isn't Jason's responsibility, it is Carly's. Jason has his own life, now. And I personally think it's about time."

"But he let her be dependent on him, now he is going to cut her off cold turkey, that is a little cruel." she said. "And for what? Elizabeth, who will run back to Lucky eventually. Seems rather harsh to toss away his oldest friend for that."

"Bobbie, Elizabeth and Jason are going to be together in the end. They don't feel like they owe Lucky or Carly anymore. Carly isn't the only one in for a surprise. I thought Lucky would be more of a problem, but now, I am thinking that Carly is the danger."

Walking away, Bobbie went to see the only other person she had to talk to. Felicia was in a happy mood, her daughter had spent a few minutes with her before driving off and the blond knew that she would gladly take what few were offered.

~~*~~

Georgie knocked on the door, and saw Mike's surprise when she entered. "Georgie? Oh, my dear."

When the ex-gambler had hugged her, Georgie said "I know this is going to sound strange, but do you still have the things I left here?"

With an embarrassed look, Mike went to a box and pulled out the notebook and the gloves along with the textbook. "I should have given them to your family, but... I just couldn't."

With a smile, she said "That is fine. I like that part of me was here,"

"Actually." he said drawing it out, "Actually, I took them home with me. When Courtney died, I had nothing of her, Jax offered but strangely enough, none of it identified my daughter to me. You, your stuff, gave me comfort."

"Then why is it here?" she asked.

"I took it home last summer, then this place was firebombed. I brought it back here for luck and I guess part of me thought of it as a way of bringing back what was lost here." he said. "I don't suppose you want a job?"

"No, not right now. I talked to a few of my old professors and I had some text books. I am going to test out of a few of my courses, I was ahead anyhow since I was planning on going to Italy. I uh, it turns out I won that scholarship and placement after I died. It is valid for another year. I am thinking about going this September." she said.

"Georgie, a few things are different, you know." he said awkwardly. He could recall her crush on Spinelli and felt bad that her sister had stolen the boy she had liked.

"I know, Cooper died, Logan went berserk. Oh crap. I have to find my dad, I knew there was something I should have told him." she said rushing out of Kelly's straight past an entering Lulu who almost fainted.

When she arrived at the station, she told the man at the desk, she just needed to see her dad and rushed into his office and then stopped when the man sitting there looked up. "Miss Jones, is there something I can do for you?"

"Er, uh, yes. I just sort of forgot my dad doesn't work here anymore." she said with a laugh. "Oh, I guess I should ask is Det. Harper or Cruz still here?"

"Yes, why?" he asked amused as she went over to the filing cabinet and then said "Oh, it was Harper, thank god it wasn't only Lucky. He couldn't find his way around a case if his life depended on it."

Going to the door, the commissioner asked David Harper to come into the room then watched wide eyed as the brunette used his phone to call someone. "Mr. Baldwin, Scott, this is Georgie Jones. No this isn't a joke and yes I did come back from the dead. Look can you please shut up, there is something you should know."

"Look, Mr. Baldwin, if you weren't Serena's father, I wouldn't be calling you at all. I think you are a loud mouthed blow hard but even you deserved to know what happened to your son."

"Yes, Logan, do you have some other son who showed up out of the blue?" she asked sweetly then said "I am putting you on speakerphone, so I would hush for now."

Once that was done, she said "Jerry Jacks who had me, told me what happened or what was said to have happened to Logan. There is something you should know. Trevor Lansing was up to his armpits in the dirty fake drugs coming into town. He was using Logan as a guinea pig for something he intended to use on someone else."

"Are you sure?" asked Scott.

"Yes, Jerry was pissed when he found out. The drugs were expensive and he wasn't reimbursed." she said. "And by the way, I really want to know two things. Number one is who did you bribe to be allowed to prosecute the case and also to allow Edward Quartermaine to be on the jury?" she asked.

"I did no such thing." Scott protested.

"If you admit it and give up the names, I will tell you what else I know." she said,

Scott was about to refuse then said "About what?"

"Logan." she said. "And it's big."

"Fine. Judge Emery. And his assistant." he said.

"Now that wasn't so hard. You are a grandfather. Logan joined the military to escape fatherhood. I found that when we were looking into his past." she said then hung up. Turning to the two men in the room she added. "Oh, and Logan went crazy and attacked my sister at Crimson then Lulu at Johnny Zachara's penthouse. Lulu killed him with an ax."

"Are you sure? Claudia confessed."

"Yes, and you can't charge her with anything. But I thought you should know." she said. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to see my parents." she said sounding like she was going to the death chamber.

~~~*~~~

Sam slipped into the hospital then called Nik. "I am here, just give me a little bit of time. Where are you?"

Looking in on his brother from the window outside their mother's house, he said "At home."

"Fine, look just be ready when I call you." she said. They had reached an agreement the previous evening when she told him what Spinelli was up to and what Jerry had on her. Nik had promised to help her if she helped him get revenge on those who stole his money.

Heading down the hallway, she saw Jason and Elizabeth with her annoyingly bitchy grandmother and the two boys. Debating grabbing them, Sam changed her mind when she saw who the two guards were on them. Instead she decided to keep an eye on them, before moving ahead with her plan.

When she saw them heading into a hospital room, she followed discreetly then listened in from the next room. Hearing her lover introducing those brats to his father, made her want to scream in anger. That should be HER in that room, not that whore Elizabeth.

~~~*~~~

Alan was amazed at how both of the boys responded so well to Jason, very open with affection and with words. His son just sat there with the two boys on his lap while Elizabeth kept fussing with Alan's medical equipment worried about over stressing him out.

"I am fine. The rapid pulse is the reaction to finally getting to meet my grandchildren. Nothing more."

Setting the two boys up next to his father, Jason went around to the other side of the bed, and reached out for Elizabeth realizing that she was nervous for some reason. Whispering in her ears, he said "Relax. He isn't blaming you, and one more thing, I love you."

Watching Elizabeth blush, Alan turned his attention to the two boys on his bed. Soon he had them talking about their train trips and their various companions.

Sam was furious to realize that Johnny Zachara had been alone with the boys and hadn't killed them. When AJ arrived, Sam got quite and earful about the Zachara heir and the time spent with them. Growling she thought _"Michael killed his sister, why didn't he do us all a favor and take revenge on Elizabeth's kids."_

Sam was even more furious when she overheard the boys calling Jason daddy and Alan grandpa. "_No way, I am not going to let this happen. She is not going to steal him again."_

When she heard them getting ready to leave, Sam looked at her watch and cursed before slipping back to the stairwell. Making sure that Jason and Elizabeth saw her, she saw them asking an approaching AJ to watch the boys.

Elizabeth reached Sam first while Jason stopped and told the two guards they were fired. "Go see Cody, immediately."

Walking over to where Elizabeth and Sam were, he saw the camera and whispered softly to Elizabeth. "This is a set up."

Nodding that she heard him. Elizabeth looked at Sam and said "Stay away from me and my family. You had your second chance, you don't get another one. One single moment of weakness and you will pay."

"Do you really think I am scared of you." she sneered.

"You should be." Elizabeth replied. "But then I doubt you are smart enough for that. Sam, I know what you did. A receptionist from the clinic called and left a message at my grams' house, at the Quartermaine's, at the police station and strangely enough according to Jax at the hotel. So much for wanting to be a mother at all costs. I guess Lucky being the father was too expensive."

Sam mentally cursed Jerry and vowed revenge. "You have no idea what you are talking about. Lucky wasn't the father, Jason was."

"God, Sam." laughed Elizabeth. "How stupid are you?"

Reaching out. Sam forgot the script and tried to slap Elizabeth but Jason tightly gripped her hand and said "Don't even think about it."

"What? Are you going to threaten to kill me again?" she mocked. "Funny, you threaten me then fuck my brains out. That brat must not mean very much to you after all."

Jason said "Sam, Elizabeth was right, how stupid are you? We haven't had sex in years, thank god. And don't you ever call my son a brat again."

Sam made sure that she saw scrubs before wiping her arm out of Jason's grip and said loudly "Don't you dare threaten me."

Rushing to the staircase, she was hurrying up to the roof when she felt like she had run into a brick wall. Fifteen minutes later, Nik was standing over her body calling for help while assuring her that Lucky was taken care of. Once the medical staff had taken Sam out on a back board, Nik made a call and said "My part is done and Sam was more than helpful with hers."

Patrick was dealing with Sam test results when he got word of an incoming GSW to the head. When the gurney wheeled in, he saw Lucky Spencer lying on it, blood gushing. When he reached over Lucky whispered "Nik, Nik did this."

Seeing the man flat line, Patrick did his best then called the police commissioner, "Lucky Spencer just died from a GSW, he named his brother as the shooter. And Sam McCall was pushed down three flights of stairs. She can't move from the neck down."

TBC


	16. Chapter 16 2 Dead, 1 Down, 1 To Go

**Chapter 16**

Nik walked quietly to his office and closed the tunnel door. "Alfred?"

The butler entered the study and Nik said "Could you check on the weather, if it nice I was thinking on taking Spencer out for a ride."

"Certainly, Master Nicolas." said the elderly man. Returning he informed his boss, "I am sorry sir, it is starting to snow."

"Thank you, Alfred. That will be all." he said then thought about it and decided to add a another level of cover. "If you should happen to see my cousin wandering the halls, please ask the staff to keep an eye on her."

"My pleasure, sir." was the reply before the man walked away. Hearing the sound of the door knocker, he was surprised to Det. Harper and two uniformed officers outside. "I am sorry, the launch never informed us that anyone was coming. Would you care for a cup of coffee after I bring you in to Mr. Cassidine?"

"We need to speak to your boss." said Harper who then asked "Has Mr. Cassidine left the island at all today."

"No he hasn't. The master has been stuck dealing with business all day on the phone. He just had me check the weather to so he could take his son for a horseback ride."

"What about Miss McCall?" he asked.

"You would be better off asking the launch captain. My master gave his cousin free run of the place and I haven't seen much of her." he said then announced them to Nik.

"Harper, what is it?" he asked while trying to figure out what face to put on, sad or angry at Morgan. When he had made his deal with Jerry, Nik had added a little silent addendum of his own, Morgan gone, far away from Elizabeth again.

"Your brother was shot today. His last words claimed you were the one behind his shooting."

Well, he had his answer. Stunned was the appropriate expression. How the heck had Lucky survived a bullet to the head that long. "Lucky was shot, and you think I did it, why?"

"Your sister reluctantly confirmed that Lucky and you had a fight yesterday, that he was beaten later and that he also blamed that on you." said the detective. He had no use for any member of the Spencer family and even less for their rich relatives.

"We did have a fight, as my study here proves. But I didn't have him beat up, that was more than likely Jason Morgan. They have been fighting over Elizabeth for years, you know that. And I would never shoot my brother, no matter how angry I was."

"What was the fight about?" asked Harper amazed the man hadn't asked for a lawyer yet.

"Elizabeth, what else?" he said shaking his head. "She came on to me last year, it was ugly and Lucky blames me for taking her up on the offer. Though to hear her side of the story, I took advantage of her. I just tried to explain to Lucky what happened, but he didn't want to hear anything against her. Look how long he was fooled by her in regards to her youngest son."

"Okay, one more thing. Your cousin, Sam. Did you know she was pushed down the staircase at GH?"

"No, I don't have a lot to do with the place since I sold the hospital. What happened?" He inwardly grinned, apparently Sam's true relationship wasn't common knowledge. Nik had been furious when Jerry had claimed to have proof and had threatened to offer it up unless he worked with him.

"She claims to have been pushed but the camera's show she ran into a movable wall of some sort that was on the staircase." stated Harper.

"One of the ones for emergency surgery? Those things are heavy, poor Sam." he said. "What was it doing there?" Nik was hoping for a chance to sue the new owners for wrongful death in spite of being the one who had set the wall there.

"We don't know, but we are looking into it." said David Harper.

"Thank you for notifying me, I must call my mother and let her know about Lucky." said Nik dismissing them.

Harper called his boss who told him to meet them at the Spencer house, "There is evidence that it wasn't Cassidine but his cousin, Sam."

"Then why would Lucky say it was his brother?" he asked as he walked to the police boat.

"No idea, but meet me here, there is a lot more we need to go though." said the police commissioner as he lifted up the file.

!!*!!

Georgie had been taking her time, moving her way emotionally to dealing with this. But seeing her sister standing in the living room, holding out her hands in greeting Georgie knew her time was up. "Maxie, how are you?"

"How am I?" she asked then sat down, "You hate me don't you? For falling in love with Spinelli? Then breaking his heart."

Georgie gave a quick bark of a laugh. "No, actually I don't. Maxie, I wasn't in love with Spinelli. He just was someone I could see myself with, that is all. I don't hate you at all, I do however think that you are still making this about you, like always."

"I don't do that. It isn't always about me." she said a bit stung.

"Really? How was my funeral? Mom said it was lovely, that you broke down, crying that Mom was never there for me. Funny, I never had a problem with Mom, that was you." she said leaning against the sofa back and staring at her sister now in front of the fireplace.

"I-I'm sorry." she said. "I just, it just sort of happened."

"Like things always just happen." she said. "Maxie, I love you. I just have come to face that I don't like you very much."

Maxie's mouth dropped as her sister walked back out the door to Mac's car and drove away. The tears started flowing and when she heard footsteps, she turned and saw her mother there. "Maxie, what is it?"

"Georgie said she doesn't like me." with that the tears turned to sobs as the blond ran past both of her fathers and up to her room. Looking the door, she threw herself down on her bed and soon cried herself to sleep.

On the floor below, Mac was telling Felicia and Frisco everything that his replacement had told him. "I think that Georgie knows a lot more. But most of it is just useless information to her. I am worried that Jerry is going to come after her."

Frisco asked "Is that why you have that Zachara gangster following her around? Why didn't you come to me with this, I could protect her?"

Mac looked at the man and said "Georgie doesn't trust you, and while you may be her biological father, you have never been here for her. Johnny owes Morgan for his part in this mess and has a bone to pick with Jerry. He is the best person for the job."

"Mac, that isn't fair." said Felicia. "Frisco was..."

"Yes, I know what Frisco was doing. I don't care. I am grateful though that he felt saving the world was more important than being a father, because it allowed me to have the responsibility he didn't want and I have loved every single moment of it." he said.

"And I am grateful for how much you have loved my daughters." said Frisco quietly looking at the pictures on the mantel with regret. "But what now? You have quit your job, you have a criminal hanging around Georgie, Maxie, she is just one big mess. Maybe it is time I stepped in."

Bobbie had just had a very long afternoon getting her head straightened out after freaking out over her daughter and blaming most of it on her own mistakes in the past. Monica, then Audrey and finally Leslie had talked to her and made her deal with things, only to find out about Lucky and that Nik was possibly his killer.

She had come over to see Mac, needing his advice about what to do next only to hear what Frisco said. "Frisco, Felicia you know that I love you both. We talked after Georgie's funeral, and I know that I said never forget Georgie loved and forgave you."

Seeing Felicia's confusion, Bobbie walked further into the house and said "BUT WHERE THE HELL DO EITHER OF YOU GET OFF TELLING MAC THOSE TWO GIRLS ARE A MESS?"

"That isn't what I said." sputtered Frisco as the red head turned on him.

"NO, that is EXACTLY what you said. Mac has done a wonderful job with those girls and as for the Zachara kid, from what I have been given to understand he owns a garage, works hard there."

"He is a thug." said Frisco.

"No, from what I overheard I gather he is a man who went to help save your daughter while you were off saving the world. Mac, here was saving those girls. Your abandonment and the way she never got mental health treatment after her transplant is the reason Maxie is the way she is. But you weren't there yesterday, from what I understand she took a giant leap into adulthood by apologizing to Elizabeth Webber and actually meaning it."

"Bobbie, what about this whatever he is that she was about to marry?" asked Frisco.

"Yes, Mr. Spinelli. She was mourning Georgie and lord knows what that was about. I think he gave her the same emotional support her sister did and Maxie tried to turn it into more. But if you were so worried, where were you then? Not here, that was Mac."

Mac stopped Bobbie and said "Thank you, but I heard about Lucky. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I had some very good friends with me. I am actually more worried about this evolving into a blood war. And I need a favor." Bobbie knew that she had burnt some bridges in her anger and confusion about her daughter.

"What is it?" asked Mac.

"Uh, you are not going to believe this one, but I just got a call from the Canadian Mounties. The Haunted Star turned up off the coast of Montreal." she said. "Lucky is … d-dead. Luke in prison and frankly Lulu isn't capable of making any sort of decision. They want to sell it off for salvage."

"No, let them know I will head up there and deal with it." said Mac having an idea. "Bobbie, have you tried to talk to Nik?"

"Yes, but something is off with him. Then I was told Lucky said Nik beat him up and was his possible shooter."

Mac went to pickup the ringing phone then said "I will be right there."

Turning around he said "That was Anna, she is at the Spencer house. Bobbie, it looks like Sam McCall killed Lucky. They thought it was a set up at first, but they found a camera that Lucky seemed to be setting up to tape. All they have on it is Sam firing the weapon, not Lucky but it seems pretty clear."

"Thanks Mac. I have to go and deal with my daughter. I am going to have to have Carly committed."

Seeing their shock at the turnaround, Bobbie laid her head against the door and said "I knew, I knew yesterday at the police station. I just, I just wanted to be wrong. I wanted things to go back to the way they were before. Carly is sick, she has to be, why else would she be so obsessed with Jason."

Felicia felt for her friend but knew there was no disagreement about her daughter. "And Michael?"

"I panicked when I saw AJ. I-I, I know that life has finally come full circle. When all of this happened at first, I just thought that... I just... Carly was my little girl, you know." she said her voice trembling. "Maybe it is a good thing I couldn't have more children. I think there is something wrong with the Spencers. A gene defect, or something. I only hope that the younger generation isn't affected."

Mac hugged his old friend then said "Bobbie, this is going to hurt, but I think you know the truth, deep down. It's not the genes, it is Carly, and as for Luke and Laura's kids... it is a sense of entitlement. Maxie, god only knows all the things she has done, but she is the way she is because of the way we let her be after the transplant."

"Why couldn't Carly change then?" she asked feeling intense pain. "Why not my daughter?"

"Honestly, Carly's problems come from Carly. She is her own worst enemy." said Felicia. "And Bobbie, let her face those problems, let her learn to deal with them herself. Why don't you help their fathers raise your grand-babies."

"I can't abandon her. Jax is going to take care of Morgan and Jocelyn and has made it very clear to Michael that he doesn't only have AJ, but that he has him too. Who does Carly have if I walk away?"

No one said to her that might be a good thing, instead they just went on their way while Maxie slept upstairs, right through the constant text ring of her phone.

Spinelli was grinning as he moved through the downtown streets of the Port Charles shopping district. He had bested the evil one named Jerry Jacks. He had used the laptop the man had gotten him to break the codes and escape the minute Jerry left. Seeing the Towers up ahead, he was sure that Stone Cold would be proud of him when he saw the television screen in the store window.

Stopping he whimpered and hurried inside just as the words breaking news once again flashed across his fair Samantha's face. _"We return to General Hospital where the newly appointed chief of staff, Steven Webber has just stepped up to the podium with Dr. Patrick Drake and Dr. Leo Julian._

"_At 12:46, Lucas Lorenzo Spencer, the son of Luke Spencer and his ex wife Laura Webber Spencer was pronounced dead. This death was the result of a low caliber gun shot to the head."_

"_Dr. Webber, according to inside sources at the police department, his death was from bleeding out, how is that possible?" asked reporter._

"_Mr. Spencer died from losing over sixty percent of the blood in his body. The physicians in the ER did their best, but with that amount of blood loss and the internal damage done by the bullet, Mr. Spencer's death was inevitable."_

"_Dr. Webber, rumor is that his killer is now currently a patient, what can you tell us about that?"_

"_Now as to whether or not Miss McCall was indeed the shooter, nothing. I can confirm that Miss McCall is a patient here after a rather horrific fall down the central staircase here at GH."_

"_Can you tell us how that happened and why the designers installed that staircase. This isn't the first such incident."_

"_You would have to ask the former owners of the hospital about that. The Cassidines had this mess designed. We are going to be closing down a wing at a time to fix the various design flaws, but unfortunately our architects still haven't come up with a way to deal with that staircase." he said "Now as to how it happened..."_

_Seeing Steven step back, Patrick took over. "Miss McCall had just stepped away after verbally abusing two visitors at the hospital when she was running up the staircase in four and a half inch heels."_

"_Why was she wearing heels?" asked one female reporter. "Was she coming from a party or something?"_

"_No, from personal knowledge the woman frequently dressed in similar shoes." he said then covering the mike saw Harper with said shoe in hand. "Here, are the shoes she was wearing at the time."_

_With a quick sidebar, the two female reporters could be heard making a joke about the former hooker and rich man's mistress wearing fuck me heels. Spinelli vowed to make them pay for the insult to his friend as it aired._

"_Miss McCall ran into one of the movable surgical walls. We found the sign warning of their location on the way, but it appears she never saw it." said Patrick. "She is currently a patient here and I can confirm she is alive but nothing more until we reach her next of kin."_

"_That would be the former DA Alexis Davis, right?"_

"_Actually no. Turns out, Miss Davis was given false information about her missing child. Miss McCall is not her daughter."_

"_Then who is she?" asked one of the more persistent reporters._

"_That I have no answer to." he said "Which is why we can only take care of Miss McCalls' immediate medical services until we get permission to operate on her or she wakes up."_

"_What about Mr. Morgan, weren't they involved?"_

"_Mr. Morgan and Miss McCall ended a few years ago. The man she has been seen with over the last year was a body double that Mr. Morgan arranged for so that he could track down the people who kidnapped his and my sister's son." stated Steven. "Since this led back to Miss McCall, he is not interested in helping her."_

"_Wait, are you saying that Jake Webber's kidnapping was connected to Sam McCall."_

_Steven looked at the reporter and said "Yes. Now if you will excuse me..."_

Spinelli watched the screen horrified then realized he was traveling the wrong way, he had to get to GH, he had to see his master. Surely Stone Cold would come to his senses now that the love of his life would need him more than ever.

Steven left the room and as soon as AJ, Jason and he were alone he said "Did I forget anything?"

"No, I do wish you had expanded more on Lucky's shooting though." said Jason. "Jerry is playing games and I want him to think he is winning and covering his tracks."

Taking the disk that AJ had, Jason said "What I don't know is does he know that it was Carly who helped herself to the Alcazar funds and that Spinelli was the one who helped her?"

Elizabeth was talking to Monica outside of Alan's room waiting for her Uncle Tom so they could spend an hour talking about all that had happened since their return to Port Charles. Hearing loud voices they turned and saw Spinelli arguing with Epiphany.

"Why not?" he asked asking.

"You are not a relative." she said. "Now if you will excuse me."

Typing a request for security to come to the hub, Epiphany kept an eye on the geek who hadn't seen Elizabeth yet and she didn't intend for the little freak to get close to her favorite nurse.

Spinelli went to the waiting room, pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. He didn't have a cell phone, his laptop had been left behind to facilitate his escape. Hearing voices, his eyes narrowed when he saw Elizabeth walking down the hall heading his way.

"Begone, evil maternal one." he shouted drawing the attention of everyone in the area including the twosome arguing as they came off the elevator. Johnny stopped Georgie from talking, pointing out what was going on just as Monica and two guards approached as well.

Johnny saw Elizabeth had seen him and shake her head at the Italian. "Mr. Spinelli, do you need some help?"

"Why are you here, you are the reason my goddess is lying in that bed. You, you stole her life. Stole the child that should have been hers." he said "You, you know this, it is why you kept my master from his child. You knew he would removed his progeny from your horrible clutches, you, you HUSSY!"

Elizabeth couldn't help it, she laughed at the old fashioned word. "And you, Spinelli. What are you? A small pitiful pathetic waste of time and space. You know that even Sam doesn't want you. She never did. She used you. And you fell for it."

"You are lying, Sam is my best friend after Jason. You have used your lies to steal what doesn't belong to you, You are a subaccus taking my master away from the true love that is the goddess, you are jealous of her beauty, her kindness, her sweet kind soul."

"Good god Spinelli, are you blind as well as a moron?" asked Georgie.

The emotionally distraught man turned and saw the brunette standing there and said "No, you are dead. I held your dead body, I helped my beloved, your sister mourn your passing."

"Spinelli, get over it. No, I am not dead. And you, thank god I realized that that I liked you because you weren't a challenge. Do you really believe that Sam McCall is more beautiful that Elizabeth, please one is a used up whore who had plastic surgery and the other..." she said looking at Elizabeth. "Has been this beautiful for years. Men have fought over her, whereas Sam, they just pay off after the sex."

"From what I heard, she should be paying them." said Johnny sotto voce. "Spinelli, there is nothing kind about Sam, she is all about using others to make herself look better. And her soul is possibly as black as my fathers."

"You don't mean that, how can you say that. She-Sam is lying in a bed, fighting for her life and you are.. Stone Cold is going to be angry you are doing this." he said then looking at Monica said "You, you know I am telling the truth. Elizabeth is just like Susan Moore, stealing what belonged to you, you stopped it, you know you did. Sam is you, why are you turning against her?"

Elizabeth saw Lainey talking to her Uncle Tom and her father then taking a syringe from him only to move closer. But Elizabeth had something she wanted to say to Spinelli and wasn't going to be interrupted. "Spinelli, you got all of this from a few articles in the paper and court records, but you KNOW NOTHING, NOTHING ABOUT Jason and I."

"I know that you moved in and stole him away from fair Sam. You tricked him into your bed, you were jealous of his marriage to Courtney, you have always been mean to Carly. You have been stalking Jason for years."

"No, Spinelli. She hasn't." said Jason coming into the hallway. "Elizabeth, I-Spinelli, I have loved her for years. You, you know thing about us."

"No, I do, I really, really do know, she has just bewitched you away from where your heart really lies." insisted Spinelli. "Sam told me so."

"Then using your terms" said Jason with a heavy sigh, "She bewitched me years ago, first with long talks at Jake's, then a dance in an empty diner. With nights looking up at the stars and going fast. With beach balls, globes. Uzbekistan and painting the wind. I knew it then, but I was so worried, she was too young, she was too innocent. They were all excuses, because at the heart of my fear of my pushing her away was one thing."

"See, you didn't really love her, otherwise you wouldn't have walked away." said Spinelli.

"No, that is why I walked away. I never thought I was good enough, that I had any right to steal her away. You once compared me to various things, but in my mind, it was like the Greek god, Hades, stealing Persephone to bring her to the dark abyss of the underworld."

Spinelli had no words, he had NEVER heard his master talk like that. "But--"

"No, no buts. Spinelli. See losing her after Jake was grabbed it was the last straw, the last bit of pain that I could take. So I made plans, I called the one man I had absolute trust in and we would have succeeded except once again for the people in my life."

"You, you used the goddess, how could you? I looked up to you." said Spinelli weeping. "After everything we have done for you, how could you say such horrible things about her, to her, to that woman, that interloper. You were so mean in that letter"

The Interloper looked at Jason and said "Looks like we figured out where the letter was. Johnny was right, it was stolen from the safe house." Turning to Spinelli she said "You know what, there is nothing for you here, go home to Tennessee."

"NO, I WILL STOP YOU, I WON'T LET YOU WIN." he shouted.

Elizabeth was trying to decide if it would be worth it and just looked at him and said "Fine, if this is one of your video games, how does it end?"

"With the rightful woman standing next to Stone Cold, as they plight their troth. The evil does are exiled to the netherworld never to be heard from again. You, gone, that unwanted son gone, never to see heard from again." said Spinelli.

Looking at him, Georgie asked "What do you mean by gone?"

"Gone, no more lives." said Spinelli.

With that Elizabeth balled up her fist and punched Spinelli in the face. "Ouch, that hurt. Security, I do believe that the police are looking for this person."

When Spinelli started protesting that that wasn't the way it was supposed to be, Elizabeth turned and said "Oh, course not. Your mind isn't a video game, just a sad pathetic place to live. Jason isn't a game, I don't live my life like it is one either. And Spinelli, my children's lives aren't a video game. Get some help."

"But what about fair Samantha, Stone Cold?" he yelped as Harper came off the elevator with someone who stunned the room.

"Stone Cold, please, save her. She needs you. She loves you, how could you do this to her. She killed her baby to be able to give you your own child, a child from you is her greatest wish, please, Stone Cold, don't do this..." wept the man-child.

"Stone Cold, kid, I have known Morgan a hell of a lot longer than you, and Stone Cold? Not a good nickname." said Taggert. Then looking around said "Morgan, I need a minute with you. Alexis Davis said your attorney is on the way."

Spinelli was calling out to Georgie, begging her to help his goddess, to ask his beloved to come see him. Then finally realizing he had no choice he shouted. "The evil one is going to kill me and the Valkyrie, Stone Cold,. You have to come and save us."

"If that would be one Jerry Jacks, he is currently in the custody of the US Border patrol, I think you might be safe." said Taggert. Then turning to Jason he said "Morgan. You and I need to have a conversation about this man, he was found with almost two million dollars in counterfeit bonds."

"How may my client help you?" asked Diane as she came over then looking around said "Can we clear this area a bit. Det. Harper, would it be possible for you to escort the prisoner to the station? Mr. Zachara, Miss Jones, doctors."

As they all headed away, Jason hugged Elizabeth then whispered she might need to have Monica check her hand. "I'm fine."

"That was the third time in a couple of days, though." he said. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am fine. But I do have to go track down grams and the two guards they were taking the boys to her house." Leaving, she saw Maxie approaching and tensed up only for the younger woman to ask "Have you seen my sister?"

"In the hospital, visiting with Dr. Quartermaine." she replied then seeing how she looked asked "Maxie, are you alright?"

With her back turned Maxie said "Georgie said she doesn't like me. My sister doesn't like me. What does that say about me and my life? Mom says she will get over it, that she is just angry, but I don't think so, not this time."

Elizabeth looked at her guard then the girl and said "Maxie, she is hurting. She lost two years of her life, and I know this is going to sound cruel but frankly, you were here, you were allowed to move on, find love again. Georgie's life stopped, now it is moving again. Stop trying to push her into her previous role, because like you aren't the Maxie she knew, she isn't the Georgie you are recalling."

Arriving at the car, Elizabeth heard her name being shouted. Seeing Lulu coming at her, Elizabeth looked at the blond impassively as she threw herself into her arms crying. Patting her back awkwardly, she missed seeing Lulu stick something in her coat pocket but the guard didn't.

"Elizabeth, what are we going to do about poor, poor Lucky. Aunt Bobbie is going to arrange for a funeral but that should be you. You are the one he loved, you were the one he wanted a future with. Please, please finally make things right with my brother, you owe him for everything he did for you." Lulu followed Carly's script to the letter.

"Lulu, I am sorry for your loss, but no. I am not taking on Lucky's funeral." she said gently disconnecting the bawling blond.

"Please, you know he would do it for you. That he would take care of you. You owe him." she said once again.

"No, no I don't." she said more firmly then once free of Lulu's arms got into the car. The driver was pulling off when the guard handed a small note to Elizabeth who removed her coat and handed it over. Showing her the bug, he kept up a steady conversation about the weather and the traffic as they went to the docks.

Leaving her coat in the car, they went to the coffee shop and called Jason who snapped at Diane to get this over with. "Mr. Taggert, if there is nothing else?"

"I just would like Mr. Morgan to answer if he had any idea of where the counterfeit bonds came from. We have reason to believe that they were on the jet that blew up with his late partner on it."

"And I answered your question, Taggert." with that Jason walked to the door then turning around said "Why are you even involved with this?"

"The wreckage, some of it landed in my jurisdiction and with my past connections here, my boss sent me to get answers and I am not leaving without them."

"You want answers, fine. How about these. Jerry Jacks somehow got a hold of money belonging to Lorenzo Alcazar, this was stolen from him by that kid Harper just took out of here and Carly. Why don't you go talk to them?" he said before leaving. Stopping Lulu, he snapped. "We know about the bug in Elizabeth's pocket, are you really that stupid?"

"I-er-I don't know what you are talking about." she said feeling like she owed this man nothing.

"Carly or Spinelli, Lulu?" he spit out.

"No one, no bug, you are crazy." she said.

"Fine then it must have been Nik. Good, I finally---" he hid his smile when she shouted no.

Defeated Lulu said "It was Carly, she just wants to talk to her, make sure she sees the mess she is making of everyone's lives."

!!*!!

Carly was sitting at home holding the picture of Sonny, Jason and her and crying when Bobbie entered the room. "Momma, did you talk to Jason?"

"No, he didn't return my calls. I did talk to Mac though." she said easing it around to Michael.

Suddenly hopeful, Carly looked up "Is he back, I never thought I would be grateful for his incompetence, is he going to release Michael, after all, he didn't mean to shot Jason."

"No, he isn't commissioner anymore. He retired." she said her hands were shaking as she looked at the clock and knew she had over an hour before the people from the clinic would get here. Leaving she went to see Jax, knowing that he had to be told.

Hearing her front door slam ten minutes later, Carly let out a squeal as she stood and rushed over to hug Jason who grabbed her hands tight and forced her to sit down. "No, you are going to listen, I am going to speak. I know about the bug in Elizabeth's pocket, and I want to know the real reason it is there. Not the bull crap you fed Lulu."

"I don't know what you are talking about." she snarled while cursing the younger blond.

"Them let me give you a bit of information. Jerry Jacks was arrested today." he counted to ten as she went on and on about knowing he would save her. "From what? Your greed, your unmitigated gall when it comes to your sense of entitlement?"

"Jason, please, just let it go. It was an impulse, I knew about the money from when I saved your from going to jail for killing Lorenzo. That's all. It was sort of a finder's fee." she said.

"Carly, I told Taggert." Seeing her expression, he said "Yes, Taggert, he is on his way here, to arrest you. Spinelli is already on his way to a jail cell. Sam can't move from the neck down, Nik is bankrupt. Lucky is dead, Sonny dead."

"I don't understand. What does that have to do with us?"

"Carly I left here to do several things. Find proof that Sam and Lucky were why the Russians knew so much about Jake. I instead found that it was Sonny, Sonny who told them how much Elizabeth meant to me. More than likely the first time the bastard ever admitted it out loud."

"What are you talking about? Why would Sonny care?" Carly was sure that her ex-husband wouldn't give a damn about Elizabeth or her brats.

"Because like you he was a selfish man who had to be first in my life. Now, he was supposed to end up in jail, but dead works." Carly stared, then blinking said "You, you don't mean that. Sonny and you have been through so much together. He..."

"He sold Elizabeth out, knowing it would destroy me." he whispered. "And in the end he paid. Lucky I have wanted gone forever, but knew I would be the first suspect. Wasn't that hard to set Jerry after him, not after Georgie told me how he was upset at what had happened to her."

"Why would Jerry Jacks give a damn about Elizabeth?" she scornfully said.

"You do remember the baby she was carrying for Jax, you were the one who caused her to lose it."

"The best thing I ever did for him." she said walking to the window. "Jason, first AJ, now Elizabeth. You, you need to realize that you are losing it. I think you have another brain injury."

"No, and stop avoiding thing Carly. We ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS, NO MORE EVASIONS, NO MORE PUSHING IT OFF ON OTHERS." he said tersely.

"Fine, shall we talk?" she said throwing herself down into a chair. "What else have you done, Jason? What else are you going to regret doing someday? Who else have you betrayed as a result of whatever they did to you?"

"I had AJ slowly and steadily strip Nik of everything but that Island. All of it, all his power, his money it's gone. He still doesn't realize how bad it is." said Jason coolly. Then I let Jerry grab Sam and Spinelli. After he was finished with them, I have every intention of stepping up to take over. See, Sam watched as my son was grabbed, hired men to threaten Elizabeth and the boys in the park."

"Why would she do something so stupid?" asked Carly. "Threatening Jake?"

"She is going to pay for that and for the games she tried to play with Elizabeth, for the lies the deceit and most importantly for hurting the woman I love. Just like Spinelli and just like you. You are done Carly. I sat here in this living room, and warned you, but you ignored me."

"Jason I only want what is best for you and that isn't Elizabeth."

"No, Carly you want me. Too bad for you, I never wanted you." he said.

"Yes, yes you did." she said triumphantly. "Remember, Jake's, I have never forgot."

"Carly, you were a body, it was sex, recreational sex at that. Yes, it was fun. But I have had better." he said looking at her. "And more importantly, I have learned the difference between sex and love. And love and making love is something I never did with you."

"Why are you trying to hurt me? When you come out of this, you are going to be so mad at yourself for hurting me like this." she whispered. Even knowing he didn't mean it, didn't stop the pain.

"Carly, I love Elizabeth. What I feel when I am with her in no way compares to the brief bit of sex that we had. That night in August, was one of the best nights of my life. And since she stars in all the rest of the top ten moments that is saying something."

"What, now I have proof that you are being trapped, how good could it have been. You went right back to Sam afterwords. How good could have fucking her one time have been?"

"Only because of miscommunication with Elizabeth." he said then looking at her laughed. "Is that what Sam told you, one time. She screwed Ric one time. Elizabeth, Elizabeth and I made love and talked most of the night. Even I was a bit shocked when I got rid of the condoms the next morning. I don't think I ever used up eight in one night before even when I was a randy brain damaged thug like when I was with you."

Carly stared, she had never, ever in her life heard Jason talk like that. "You have to stop being mean, Jason. I don't know how much more I can take. Michael needs us."

"No Michael needs his father, he needs AJ who is going to be there for him. You, you on the other hand. Not so much, good bye Carly. Whatever plan you had, whatever you thought you were going to do, whatever you thought Jerry was going to do. It's over."

"Jason, it's not over. Not as long as I am alive." she said looking sadly at her best friend. "I will always love you, always be there for you. You will never be alone, I promise."

Looking at her, he said "No, Carly you won't."

Walking to the door he said "Carly, you are going to be locked up again. While there, there is going to be an accident. I will say all the right things, telling Bobbie how sorry I am, but I won't be. I will be home with hopefully Elizabeth as my wife raising our sons. This, this Carly is goodbye."

When he had left, Carly just shook her head and tried to reach Nik. If Jason was right about Jerry, he was her last hope. Hearing a knock on the door, she opened it to let in Jax. "Are you here to return my children?"

"No, I am just here to sign the papers." he said sadly as Bobbie and two men came in through the back door. "Jason recommended this place, I hope he is right, that it can help you."

Carly got a sinking feeling, looking around in desperation. "NO! NO! I AM NOT GOING. NEVER AGAIN. I DON'T BELONG THERE. JAX, please, please, Jason is sick and he is going to regret this later, please don't let them take me. Jason warned me that I was going to pay for all I did to Elizabeth. If you let them take me, you are going be widower. They are going to kill me, Jason is going to have me killed, please, you can't let them take me."

Carly's screams echoed through the neighborhood as she was placed in the straight jacket. She was kicking and screaming as they loaded her into the van. Bobbie ran back in to get her coat and the driver turned and said "Relax Mrs. Jacks, Mr. Morgan ordered us to take good care of you."

TBC


	17. Chapter 17 Vengence

**Chapter 17**

When Jason arrived at the Hardy residence the boys rushed over to drag him along with them. "Mommy said to wash up before dinner."

After lots of water and soap, the three were discussing toys as they joined Elizabeth in the dining room. "Jason, when did you arrive?"

"Daddy went to wash his hands with us." said Cam while Jake struggled to get into his seat refusing help. Once they were all seated, Jason looked around and said "Where is Audrey?"

"With Leslie, they are talking to Laura on the phone about Lucky and what to do next." she said in a lowered voice as the two boys talked to one another.

"Have you told them?" he asked.

"No, and I don't think I am going to yet. When Cam heard Lucky's name earlier, he flinched and I found out why. Lucky should be glad he is dead or I would strangle him. Cam called him yesterday. Told Lucky he was sorry but he wasn't his daddy and he didn't think he should keep something that he had given him. Lucky snapped at him and said for him to toss it in the trash that it was garbage."

"How did he know how to call Lucky?" he asked while pacing back and forth.

"He's six, Jason. Of course he knows how to use a phone." she pointed out.

"I just hate that his last memory of that man is going to be getting yelled at." he said. "What about you, how are you doing with his dying?" he asked holding his breath.

"I am fine. I am over feeling bad for Lucky. It is more like hearing that someone you knew, but not that well has died." she admitted more to herself than Jason.

Remembering how he had felt that way about Courtney, Jason said "I understand."

He was soon in the living room keeping the boys distracted while Elizabeth was talking on the phone with someone named Annie who called for her grandmother. Jason couldn't help thinking that this was all he had ever wanted, time like this with his family.

Getting up to answer the knock on the door, he saw Jake imitating him as Jax entered. "It's done. I am going with AJ to take Michael to the center then taking Morgan and Jocelyn to Australia until this blows over. Marty is in charge of the hotel and if you need to reach me, here, these are my numbers there."

"Jax, you are doing the right thing." Jason said while Jake climbed on his lap. Cam returned from the bathroom and quickly greeted the Aussie.

"Hi, Mr. Jax. Do you know our daddy?" he asked once the man had greeted him.

"Yes, I do. How was your trip?" he asked and was amused to see that the curly haired boy still had his great love of trains. When Elizabeth joined them, she gave Jax a hug and said "I wish I could say it is going to get better."

"I know, I only hope she decides that being sane is a good thing." with that he left once again thanking Jason for all of his help. Cam and Jake rushed off to play with their toys in the den leaving the great room quiet for a few minutes.

"Hey, how are you doing?" she asked hugging the man she loved. "Sam, Spinelli and now Carly."

"Fine. The only one I feel bad about is Spinelli, mainly because I should have never let him in my life, who knows what he would be now."

"He would be dead. You told me he was working for Lorenzo Alcazar and Ric, Jason, you gave him a chance, he chose to betray you." she pointed out. "And for what? Sam?"

"I know, as for the other two, Sam and Carly, I did what had to be done. I only hope that Carly gets help and Sam, she is going to be someone's responsibility but not mine." he said. "Nik's more than likely." He was just curious as to what Jerry was doing, the man was jumping around, never in the same place twice.

"I doubt he helps her. If she is Stefan's daughter, she can make a claim on the Cassidine empire."

"Such as it is." said Jason. "Now what are your plans for the rest of the evening Miss. Webber?"

"I am intend to be here with my boys. All three of them, if they want." she said as Jason pulled her close. "There has been a lot going on today. I just want to sit here and talk, or not talk. Just be."

Jason said "Wait, I have a present for you." When he returned he gave her the sketchbook and pencils while showing her the book he himself was reading.

"Jason, why that one?" she asked with a soft chuckle.

"The boys, I was thinking we could take them." he said then went back to reading. Stopping every once in a while to watch as she dealt with either the boys or the constantly ringing phone. When her grams returned, Elizabeth laughingly told her that she felt like her social secretary.

"I am sure that the rumors about you being alive are fueling more than a few of those calls." said her grandmother as she greeted her grandsons and their father. "Now, if you will excuse me, I am heading to bed. It has been a very long day."

!!*!!

Nik hung up the phone, then tossed it. Swearing, he looked around the room and found himself trying to figure out how he could make up the missing funds. "Damn you, Lucky. Couldn't you just once, keep your mouth shut."

Alexis had come over to see if Nik needed anything and had heard his comment. "What is it?"

"My bastard brother told your not daughter about the bonds I had been keeping since Stefan's death. She gave them to your ex-lover Jerry Jacks. Now I am broke. I can't make payroll yet again."

"Nik, how is that possible? Where did all the funds go?" she asked walking over to the desk.

"It is my estate, my funds, my empire. Don't you worry about it." he snapped then said "You are partially at fault anyhow. Not that you will ever admit it."

Alexis turned and looked at him then said "I am sorry I came. Nik, when you get back to being the nephew I love, give me a call. Right now, you resemble your father."

Hearing her phone ring, Alexis listened to what Mac said then turned to Nik afterwords. "Those weren't your bonds. The ones that Jerry was caught with were counterfeit."

Nik froze, then recalled his earlier conversation with Alfred and snapped "Leave, now."

Watching as she got on the launch from his office, he waited until she was across the harbor then bellowed for the butler. "Earlier, you said the Ming Vase wasn't the real one. What did you mean?"

"Sir, it was a fake, a good one. But a fake." he said then stepped back when Nik's eyes turned black.

"How is that possible?" he hissed as he moved forward.

"I don't know, sir. Maybe when the family was having financial troubles your Uncle arranged for a discreet sale." said the elderly man. Nik looked around horrified, one of the things he had counted on to bail him out of this mess was the various brick a brak that had been accumulated by the Cassidines.

"That will be all Alfred." he said dismissing the butler. With shaking hands, Nik took out a copy of the police report from when Ric Lansing had been stabbed on his estate. Reading it he came to the description of the weapon. _18__th_ _century French issue replica broad sword._

Closing his eyes, Nik felt his head start to throb and walked slowly up the stairs. Tomorrow, tomorrow he would call a reputable discreet antiques expert.

!!*!!

Spinelli sat in his jail cell, his head rolling back and forth from the shot that Lainey Winters had given him. "Is he sane enough to stand trial?"

"I don't know. I have always thought he needed tests run, that he might be suffering from some illness." she said looking at the DA and the police commissioner. "Tom Hardy would be the best for the testing but after all he has done to his niece, he won't help."

"Can't say I blame him. Mac gave me a rundown of all he learned." said Harper coming to join them. "Jerry Jacks just escaped custody, fled to Canada. He left a note for Morgan."

"Do you have it?" asked the DA still hoping to get the goods on the mobster. After reading it, she cursed because it was an apology and a confession from the Australian. "Call Morgan and get him in here."

"Tomorrow is soon enough." said the commissioner, ignoring the Mayor's appointee's pointed looks. "He didn't do anything criminal and I am not anyone's lackey."

"We can use this to push him. I want him in a jail cell, just like the rest of the mobsters." she said only for Harper to snort.

"You have a problem?" she asked the man.

"Corinthos falling apart and ending up in jail, his ex-wife, Morgan's ex-lover, his former tech geek. Are you noticing a pattern? They all hurt Elizabeth Webber, they are all now in jail or heading that way. YOU, you didn't take down them, Morgan did." announced Harper.

"There are rumors, Cassidine is in severe financial troubles, Lucky Spencer is dead. Both hurt the woman he loves. This all leads me to agree with Harper." said Lainey Winters. "Morgan was clearing the decks."

"Then arrest him for it." replied the political stooge.

"On what charge? You are the attorney here, what laws did Morgan break?" mocked Harper.

Sputtering, she fled while the commissioner went to find out how Jerry Jacks escaped. Lainey and David Harper looked at the geek then he said "What is going to happen to him?"

"Without a good attorney, my guess is he ends up locked up for life." she said. "Carly Jacks was sent to a private clinic in Switzerland. Michael Corinthos, now Quartermaine has gone to the Words Columbus treatment center with his father. That only leaves Sam McCall and him."

"I heard she never is going to walk again." said Harper.

""She is never going to do anything but breath again." said Lainey and then looking at Spinelli added "That might be best for the world, anyhow. What she did to this boy, is sad."

"Sam played him, but that boy, he played his part as did you I hear." he said. "Patrick Drake and Monica Quartermaine are furious with you."

"I know, I had no idea of the soup they were swimming in. Nik always seemed so caring, so protective of Elizabeth, I had no idea that he had once been in love with her and that he would dare do anything like this. Tom Hardy said Elizabeth is taking the blame, but god, he knew. He knew how bad of a mess she was."

"I talked to him about Lucky, he is still blaming it on Liz, saying she threw herself at him." he said disgusted. Lainey kept her mouth shut, she had see it herself, Liz HAD been chasing after the prince, it was one of the reasons she had gone to him in the first place.

!!*!!

Early the next morning, Elizabeth was rifling through the mail when she saw the letter with the official seal of Port Charles. Reading what it said, she turned white and was swaying when Jason found her. "Oh god, I am so sorry Jason. I forgot I did this."

Taking the blue backed paper, he read the legal writ and said "It's fine."

"No, no it's not. I can't believe I forgot doing this." she said wiping away the tears when she saw his face was blank. "I swear, I will take care of fixing this."

Pulling her into his arms, Jason said "It hurts, god it hurts but I get it. I really do. Let me call Diane and have her take care of this for us. Okay?"

Nodding, she sat down while he called his attorney who held her breath when he told her what was going on. "I am sorry, Jason. I had no idea any of this."

"Just fix it, okay." he said his eyes still on the black words that stated he had no legal rights to his sons. "Diane, I know about Max, but if you aren't able to do this... maybe you need some time off."

Thinking on what she had read on the Internet, the wedding pictures she had seen of Max and his bride and she said "No, I am fine."

Hanging up with two quick calls, things were straightened out but Diane decided to talk to Jason face to face, needing to reassure him of her ability to do her job.

Meanwhile Elizabeth and Jason were sitting on the sofa, not touching except where they were holding hands. "Jason, I don't know what to say."

Looking at her, she saw the torment in his eyes and reached over to pull him into her arms. "I, am so, so sorry." Hearing the sobs, she felt his head on her shoulder and the hot warmth of his tears as he seemed to finally realize he didn't have to be strong.

Audrey had come into the room to let them know breakfast was ready and slowly backed out of the great room letting them be. She stopped in the arched doorway between the dining room and them and felt her heart ache as she watched Elizabeth soothing Jason like she would his sons.

"Jason, it's fine. Diane said she would fix this." with that she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Hearing his quiet sobs stop, she asked "What is it?"

Lifting his head, she saw the brilliance of his eyes that was caused by the tears and the pain and winced. "I just, what would have happened? If you really had...died."

"I am sorry." she said her heart sinking at the pain she had caused in a moment of anger and despair.

"No, that's just it. You did the right thing, as far as you knew. I just, the idea of Jake and Cam no longer being mine.... the idea of how close I was to losing our sons, … that I had lost you in a way...." he looked into her eyes and said "You, and they are my world."

Elizabeth leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips, meaning it to be for comfort and it quickly started to get out of hand, ending only when they heard a loud knock on the window next to the entry door. Glaring at Johnny, Jason went to let him in.

Patrick and Tom Hardy were on a conference call to the state board discussing Lainey Winters and how she had gotten around her medical license being suspended. "I think I should leave it up to Elizabeth."

"No, she has too much on her plate. And Steven said you were in charge, so it is your decision." stated Tom as he read the file proving that Nik had gotten her her job back. "How did you miss this?"

"At the time, I was dealing with my friend dying, my wife having lost what was left of her mind by befriending Sam and Jason Morgan, and not Jason Morgan." he said. "I just let it go and didn't question it. But it does put another light on her version of Nik Cassidine, doesn't it?"

"Yes, and frankly I had heard about part of this from Elizabeth, but my focus was on Jason and her, not what this woman did by accusing her without proof." said Tom as he groaned. "Isn't she in charge of that Spinelli nutcase?"

"Yes." answered Patrick grimly. Making another call, he asked "Dr. Baldwin, I am sorry for ignoring your calls for long. The situation has been rectified. Dr. Winters is going to be fired and face the board yet again. Can you take over her patients?"

"I am coming into town anyhow, so sure." she said looking at the picture of her husband and the Hardy's.

!!*!!

Johnny and Jason were in the kitchen with the boys when Elizabeth saw Lainey being let into the house by her grams. "Elizabeth, I need your help. I have a board hearing for my license again."

Looking at the woman who was her friend, Elizabeth sat her down then said "Lainey, I can do so as your friend, but frankly as a patient, I would be leading the charge to get you removed. I am sorry, but this isn't the first time you have damaged me."

"Elizabeth, I never meant...." Lainey couldn't believe how angry her friend was.

"Then why did you let Nik buy your license back for you. I know about the donation from him to the board, I know that you were fired the same day I died." she said gently. "As a friend, yes, I think you are great, but you can't seem to set up boundaries and you should not be advising the police."

When her friend left crying, Elizabeth called Kelly Lee and told her what had happened. Kelly said she would talk to Lainey but that the rumors around the hospital was that the other woman was fired.

Seeing her son's coming out of the kitchen bundled up and then the sound of footsteps on the porch, she was amused to see Johnny and two of Jason's guards leading sleds. "Mommy, wes are going sliding out back." said Jake.

Hugging her son, Elizabeth was heading to the den to watch when Audrey said "I asked him to come over, I have something I need to tell the two of you. A few somethings."

Jason felt apprehensive but sat down next to Elizabeth, his mind was still whirling from how he had felt earlier reading that legally Jake wasn't his son.

Going over to the small writing desk, Audrey hesitated then pulled out her notes made in Colorado and handed them to Elizabeth who read them silently then passed them on to Jason. "Grams, you don't have to do that."

"Yes, I owe the two of you an apology for each and every single item on those lists. And there is one more and it's a biggie." Handing them the second piece of paper, she saw on their face the minute they realized what it was.

"Grams..." asked Elizabeth. "You knew?"

"I suspected. From the moment Jake was born." she said with a smile. "I may be old but I tend to remember every single baby I ever held. And Jason, your biological mother was one of my nurses and I have to say I never took sides in that mess that Monica, Rick, Alan and Susan had going, I should have."

"Grams, you knew about that?" she asked. "Did you know that Spinelli, Maxie and Sam were using that to hurt me?"

"No, because I would have pointed out, that it was more like the other side of this mess. The two of you were better slotted into the Alan and Monica roles involving the AJ mess, then what happened there."

Explaining, Audrey said "You two, no matter what else was going on, there was love there. Don't forget that. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go and see that the cleaning service gets the Baldwin residence ready for Gail again. She is taking over for Dr. Winters."

Jason and Elizabeth talked after she had left, both trying to figure out what comes next. "Elizabeth how long are you going to stay with your grams?"

"Until I find a place." she said sighing. "And the worst part is that the last time, it was Emily who found my house, I can't stand doing that sort of thing."

"How about letting me turn it over to Diane." he said. "We can look together."

"Jason, you have your penthouse." she reminded him.

"No, actually I don't. They caught it on fire and frankly I think it is time to move on, don't you? Too many people have ruined it for me." he said "I want a home, one for all of us."

"Jason, I don't know if I am going to be ready for that, any time soon." she warned.

"I am talking about just being there, not us, together, at least not until you are ready." he said. "Besides, your money is in an Italian bank account. We moved it when Lucky tried to access it."

"Diane can look, but nothing too outrageous, too big. Okay?" she asked.

"Fine." he said then called her only to find she was on her way. Giving her her new assignment, he added "Also, I might need your help, I need to see Spinelli."

"Okay, I am on my way to visit Alexis right now if you don't need me to come there." she said before hanging up. Thinking on the house she had always seen as reminding her of Elizabeth and Jason, Diane made a few calls then went to see her fellow attorney.

!!*!!

Luke was let into the visitor area and saw that Bobbie looked nervous. "What did Caroline do now?"

When he had sat down, she felt her hands shaking then she said "Carly is going to a secure medical facility, Jax arranged it."

"Wow, isn't this the SECOND husband to do so. Not that it will last, Morgan will bail her out." he said leaning the chair back on two legs. Then seeing Bobbie didn't seem to relax, he said "What else?"

"Elizabeth is alive. Jake really is Jason's. Spinelli altered the tests because Sam was pregnant, the baby wasn't Jason's like she claimed. It was Lucky's. Also, Sam isn't Alexis' daughter, she is Stefan's."

Hearing her brother snort unhappily, she said "She had an abortion."

"Why am I not surprised, but that is the best thing for my cowboy. Maybe he can get on with his life but more than likely not. Elizabeth does like to keep him in reserve for when Morgan flakes out."

"No, not this time." she said grimly. This was not going as planned but she needed to get through it. "Sonny is dead, Michael is living with AJ."

"The late unlamented isn't so late, huh?" he asked.

"No, and Alan and Georgie Jones are alive as well." Luke didn't like that one. His main hope for getting out here just petered out, there was no way Tracy could help him now. "Nik is in deep financial trouble, Luke. He is about to lose everything according to Alexis."

"Good, if you only knew what he was doing with Elizabeth, the damage they did to my cowboy. She was sleeping with his brother while agreeing to marrying poor Lucky who was being duped into raising her kids. I never thought I would see the day she would be slutting around, hurting him like that, but after Morgan, I guess I shouldn't be shocked."

"Luke, what about what was being done to Elizabeth? She was sick, and Nik knew and took advantage of her. As for Lucky... he isn't going to be … Luke, Lucky was shot, murdered. Sam McCall for some reason."

"No, she was set up, it was probably Morgan trying to keep him away from Elizabeth." said Luke only for Bobbie to say wiping away her tears.

"No, I saw the evidence myself, the police have her on tape. She shot him. He bled out from her using Laura's old gun. The only thing they don't know is how she got it."

It finally hit, she saw the moment that Luke realized that this time Lucky wasn't coming back from the dead. "No, no, tell me you are wrong. That he isn't dead."

Reaching out, Bobbie said "I can't. Sam McCall shot and killed Lucky."

"Where, where is she?" Luke vowed vengence.

"GH, she can't feel anything from the neck down. She ran into one of the walls fleeing Jason and Elizabeth." she said. "She tried to blame it on them, but they have her on camera once again."

"That freak, he ,..."

"Is on her side, he refuses to see that Sam isn't his friend." she said. "Nik is losing it, I talked to Laura, she can't come. The warden is not letting you out, I tried Luke. Even Alexis tried. They said no."

"Who is going to bury my little boy?" he asked. "What about Lulu, how is she doing?"

"Not well." was all Bobbie said, not wanting to worry Luke about how Lulu seemed to be walking around in a daze.

Luke started making plans, he was in a medium security prison and knew he had to get out, he had to be there for his son. Thinking on it, he made a call on the pay phone and soon got an agreement with the voice at the other end.

Now all he had to do was wait, they would take care of things for him. After all that was what friends do.

!!*!!

Ethan arrived back in town, having found the answers for Carly only to find that things had changed overnight. Stopping over to Bobbie's brownstone, he talked to Lulu who started to come out of the fog she had been floating in with the news he had given her.

"Red Glass, is Jason Morgan and AJ Quartermaine?" she asked furious. Calling Nik, she only reached his butler who said his master was busy right then. "But I need to talk to him."

Getting no place, she went to the Hardy house determined to locate Elizabeth. She had to fix this. This was all her fault. Arriving she saw Johnny leaving and the boys with Audrey and Gail Baldwin. "Where is she?"

"Elizabeth isn't here, right now. What may I do for you, Lulu?" Asked Audrey more than a little annoyed with the whole Spencer clan.

"Give her a message, tell her that she is going to be pay. It's not my brothers' fault she was a slut and now she is causing Jason to ruin them. If she doesn't fix this, I am going to make her life a living hell." she said not realizing that Johnny had stuck around to listen to what she had to say.

Shaking his head at how much she was like her blond cousin, he was just grateful for his escape. Seeing Maxie at the Scorpio house, he asked if her sister or her father were there?

"No, Georgie avoids me and Dad had to fly up to Canada." she said then asked "What do you need?"

"To talk to your sister." he said then asked "How is Spinelli?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him." she admitted. Seeing Robin coming, she said "I have to go, Robin and I are going Christmas shopping."

!!*!!

Alexis heard a soft knock on her office door and stood to let in Elizabeth Webber. "Alexis do you have a minute?"

Nodding stiffly, she listened as Elizabeth apologized for what she said to Molly and Kristina.

"Thank you, but in a way, I owe you. It helped us talk. I finally cleared the air with Kristina, about a lot of things." she said with a heavy sigh. "I know from Diane that you were sick and frankly even if you hadn't been, looking back.... I almost wish Sam had been there when you told them."

"Why?" she asked still horrified at what she said.

"Because, it brought a level of honesty between the younger girls and me. Did you hear about Sam, not being my daughter?" Seeing her nod, yes. "I know its wrong, but I am happy. I only wish I knew what did happen to my child."

When Elizabeth stood, Alexis said "Elizabeth, one thing, I wish you had told me what Sam did in regards to the kidnapping and the incident in the park. My blinders would have been ripped off a lot sooner. After Kristina was kidnapped, I of all people should have been doing the right thing, instead of offering up excuses for Sam." Elizabeth just nodded that she heard, not sure what there was to say.

"Alexis, I just wanted to say I am sorry again." she said heading for the door. "And I heard about Ric, I wish I could say it was unexpected."

"Me too." she said watching Elizabeth leave. Then looking at the wills in front of her said again "Me too."

Spinelli was lead into the interrogation room and beamed when he saw his master but frowned when he saw the older man with him as well as the bald detective he had seen around the station and a dark haired man wearing an FBI badge.. "Sit down, Spinelli."

Sitting down, quickly before he left, Spinelli looked up expectantly at Jason. "I have a few things I wanted you to see."

Showing him the tapes of Raynor and Sam, Jason listened as Spinelli tried to make excuses for what was on the screen, including the part where the agent said she had to offer up Spinelli as well. Then the tape of her making a deal with Jerry in Mexico, then Jason asked for a few minutes alone with him.

"Fine, but Morgan, be careful." said Tom. He could see the wildness in the kid's eyes.

"I will." he said then when they were alone, he moved in closer and said "You have no idea how badly I wish I had never met you."

"St-"

"No, you listen, I talk. Elizabeth and I are a family, Sam is nothing to me. Get over it. I am only here for one reason only, to tell you that you are to take your punishment. If you try to escape, don't come back here, or I will kill you myself. Do you understand me?" he asked his voice getting softer and deadlier.

"But---" whimpered Spinelli.

"No, there is nothing left to say. Spinelli, one more thing, Jerry set you up, he set Sam up and he used Nik Cassidine to do it." he said. "I sat back and let him. Right now, those men outside, they want to talk to you about the computer worm here and in the GH system."

"I did that for you..." he stuttered. "To protect you."

"I know about the disk that Jerry sent from Mexico, how was keeping that away protecting me?" he asked.

"Stone Cold, you had reconnected to the goddess, why would an old tape of her be allowed to surface."

"Old tape, that happened while she was in Mexico, she made a deal with Jerry and don't lie to me. I know that you were aware of that. And one more thing, we have your laptop, we wiped it clean."

"Stone Cold, thank you." he said with a grin.

"No, you should be aware that I gave them the one you tossed at Jake's. Coleman had it. It has every single dirty deed you have pulled since I broke up with Sam, including giving Elizabeth placebos while she was at Mercy." he saw the moment that Spinelli realized Jason knew everything. "If she had died, you would be dead. I wanted to kill you, but she talked me out of it. Remember that on the cold nights you are sharing a jail cell at Pentonville."

"Stone Cold, no, the evil doer is there," he said his hands shaking. "Anthony is there, please Jason, don't let them send me there."

Walking out, Jason looked at Jagger and handed him back his folders and said "I am done."

Looking at the blubbering idiot, Jagger said "Great, I thought we had a deal?"

"We do, I just want him too afraid to even think of coming back here." he said walking away.

Morgan saw Abbott coming out of his office and said "Yes, I read it. And no, I agree, Ric didn't commit suicide."

With a small grin he said, "We know, turns out Anthony Zachara killed him. The man he hired gave it up in exchange for a transfer to a different prison under another name."

"Why would he do that?"

"Anthony himself was killed last week. I have been looking for his son, but Johnny seems to be good at avoiding me." he said reluctantly.

Going outside, Jason tracked down the Italian and ordered him to meet him at the warehouses. When the younger man arrived, Jason told him to go and see Abbott. "If you want a clean slate, this would be the best start. And, if you need to talk..." Jason left it open, knowing he owed the kid but not sure how he could help him with his father's death.

!!*!!

Mac walked down to the docks, talking to the off duty Mountie who had found the Haunted Star. "So I am going to tear it apart, see what I can find before signing off on the papers for Bobbie Jones."

"Do you need any help?" asked the tall man next to him as they approached the rusting bucket of bolts.

"No, I knew Spencer pretty well, and have a few other people who are going to help me." he said then saw his sister in law and brother waiting. Once the man had left, Robert said "Why are we searching it first?"

"A few things. Robert, I know Luke was your friend, but frankly... we need answers." he said as they went room to room. Piling up anything suspicious in the game room, Mac got more than a few answers to some of his questions, but not to the one that sent him up here on this wild goose chase.

Finally, he found something. "Robert, you had better read this."

Finding the birth certificate, he said "That would be impossible, I was being held by Faison at that point."

"I know, my guess is that this Ethan was going to pull another con now that Luke is out of reach." he said sighing. Seeing Anna nudging Robert he said "What is it?"

"I had a call, he wanted a favor. Old friend to old friend. He wants to bury Lucky." admitted Robert only for Mac to start cursing. Making a quick call he let Abbott know then turned to his brother. "This is Luke, he is going to escape from custody once here. As for burying his son, yeah right. He will come to town, start a war then flee, leaving us to pick up the pieces."

"Mac, do you remember how you felt when Georgie was thought dead?" asked Anna.

"Yes I do and I also know Spencer, the man he is now not the man you knew. He is coming back for one reason only to cause problems." he snapped then lifted the last file and started swearing fluently. "At least he won't be able to get a hold of this."

Calling Monica's cell phone, Mac sent her a copy from the Kinko's down the street then called the Mounties. "Sink her."

Taking out the sack from his side pocket, Mac called the FBI and asked for Jagger Cates. "I found your missing stones."

"Good, now I just need to find that briefcase." he said. "I heard about Spencer, what the hell is your brother thinking?"

"He wasn't. Robert is out of touch when it comes to Luke. He still sees the man who helped save the world."

!!*!!

Johnny was stunned, he was finally free. "Why didn't someone let me know?"

"I tried, I am sorry for your loss." said Abbott then asked "The books, can you take a look?"

"I would be no help, I never had access to them. What about the estate?"

"I have no idea, it is a mess. You should talk to your attorney." he said. Johnny left and went to find a few minutes of peace and quiet.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked the soft female voice.

Turning to see Georgie, he said "I will be. My dad died. He pissed off someone and was killed. And here I am sitting thinking that I am free, and strangely enough happy."

"Well, the only time I met your father, it wasn't a pleasant experience." said the brunette as she sat down next to him.

"For me either." he said with a sideways' glance. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, trying to avoid Maxie, I keep snapping at her and yet I am not really angry with her, more like annoyed at the way she wants to act like nothing has changed. My father is driving me crazy, Mac is away and I am seriously thinking of calling Monica and asking if I can crash at the Q's, it might be quieter."

"She would say yes, she seems to like you." Everyone seemed to like the brunette.

Laughing quietly, she said "I was kidding, that place has never been quiet. You were seeing Lulu, you never saw that insanity that is that place?"

"Not really, compared to my dad's, it was quiet but I was only there a few times." he said. "I heard that Jerry is gone, it's why I let you be. But I miss talking to you."

With a grin she said "Same here. You know, I do owe you an apology, for the incident in the kitchen."

"None necessary. You were scared and your only knowledge of me involved my sister and Jerry. I do have to admit that you can handle yourself."

"WSB parent, police commissioner and a PI, they made sure we could handle ourselves." she said. "I still was shaking anyhow."

"You didn't act like it was a big deal." he said "And there is no way your sister would have remained that calm."

"Maxie could, she was given the same training, the same genes." Georgie was trying to be fair to her sister.

"Training and how you were raised has nothing to do with it. Lulu liked to talk tough, about being a Spencer and she was incapable of thinking before acting, same with your sister." He said recalling all the times that the blond had panicked.

Laughing she said "Lulu, was BEING a Spencer. They NEVER think before acting. As for Maxie, you aren't giving her enough credit."

"No, I saw your sister in action, she panics and relied on others to rescue her." Looking out at the water, Johnny said "What is next for you?"

"I don't know. My scholarship is still good, but I don't know that I still want the same things. I guess for now, college for the winter session and then figure out what comes next."

"What are you studying?" he asked.

"The law with a minor in education." she said then saw his looking at her in shock. "What?"

"I knew you were smart, but wow. Speaking of law though, I have to go talk to Diane Miller and figure out what happens to my family's estate."

"And I, have to decide if I want a job." she said. "Problem is I can't go back to waiting tables, and being an orderly doesn't pay much."

"You can come work for me. Repairing cars, I could get you a book and poof, instant mechanic." he teased. "I think you are more than smart enough."

Laughing out loud, she leaned in and whispered. "Want to know a secret... I hate to get dirt beneath my nails. So I think I will pass on that one."

Walking away, Johnny called out. "I could buy you a pair of gloves."

"Go to your meeting." she said laughing as she walked towards the Metrocourt where she was meeting with Tracy Quartermaine who had called and ordered her to have lunch with her.

!!*!!

Robin saw Elizabeth up ahead of them at the kid's clothing store talking to Cam who looked mulish. Walking up she heard them discussing turtlenecks and the little boy saying he didn't like 'em.

"So, this is where you are, avoiding me?" she asked only to be hugged.

Elizabeth said "No, I am sorry. I just have been so busy."

"I know. Same here, with Maxie since Georgie is avoiding her." she said with a heavy sigh. After hugging the boys, she asked "Are you here alone?"

Pointing out the two guards and Audrey, Elizabeth said "No, I just noticed that Cam hit a growth spurt and needed new clothes but he is being stubborn."

"Don't like them." said the little boy as he joined his grandmother and brother while still glaring at his mother.

"Wow, my future." said Robin. Hearing a sigh, they turned to see Maxie asking if this would fit Emma.

Looking at the frilly dress with the layers of crinoline and velvet, they stared at each other then Maxie before Robin said "Yes, but please, no."

"What, I think she would look beautiful." said Maxie who said hello then went back to the girls side of the store.

Robin said "My poor daughter. I know this isn't the best time, but I do want to tell you, I understand why you kept it quiet about Jake. What I don't get is why you never told me what Sam did to you and them?"

"Long story, but I felt like I would be tattling." she said shrugging. "Like I was reacting because of jealousy."

"Who cares, she endangered your children. You should have shouted it from the roof tops. I have a few words to say to Jason about it as well. She was a threat to more than just your kids, you know that don't you?" she asked staring at her friend.

"Sam only reacted..."

"Bull crap and you know it." said Robin then hugging her friend said "I had better go, the natives look restless."

"I don't know what got into Cam today..." said Elizabeth with a sigh as she turned around only to see that Robin must had been making an excuse to leave since Cam seemed fine.

"No, not that one." said Robin turning her head to where Maxie had her hands full of clothes and was beckoning Robin.

Laughing, Elizabeth finished picking up a few more outfits including the dreaded turtleneck for the boys. Then hugging them close, said "Have a good time with grams."

Taking out the letter to Santa from the boys that they had written with Monica, Elizabeth then went Christmas shopping. In the toy store, trying to decide which bear fit Jake's description, she heard someone say "That one."

Turning to look at Jason, she asked with a smile "What are you doing here? I thought I gave you half this list?"

"I am done." he said with a smirk. "Took care of it already, so I decided to help you."

"Good, here." she said handing over the bags. "Now are you sure?"

"Yes, there was one similar in Paris he wanted." said Jason who then saw her cross it off her list. "Does this mean we have time for lunch together?"

Looking at her watch, Elizabeth said "Yes, where to?"

Looking around, Jason saw a private spot then went to get them some food. When his hair fell into his eyes yet again, he sighed and said "I have to get this cut."

"Don't." she said quickly then blushing at his expression she said "I like how it kind of flows, but don't get it cut short, like you usually do. I kind of liked it the length it was when you were on trial."

As Elizabeth face flamed, Jason felt his own flush a bit then leaned over to say "Maybe I will wait until after Christmas."

"Okay." she said avoiding his eyes, she could see the heated warmth in them and felt answering response in her body. "So what now?"

"Diane sent me a location of a house. She said it was perfect. Five bedrooms, within a gated community."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Elizabeth tossing the remains of her salad while Jason saved their coffees. "I want to be in the house before the New Years. A fresh start, you know?"

Kissing her lightly, Jason said "Yes, I do."

!!*!!

Nik read the report, he was officially bankrupt and couldn't sell his home in Greece thanks to Sam showing up. Calling the Greek attorney he asked "Who notified you of this?"

Looking it up, the man said "An attorney named James Craig. I have the DNA sample he sent, it is the truth. I am sorry, Mr. Cassidine, but she does have claim on this part of the estate."

His hands were shaking as he looked around at the fake antiques, then thought about the fake bonds and couldn't help thinking that he should have stayed married to Lydia all those years ago. Now he had nothing. He had one remaining items he could sell, then thanks to Courtney and his son, he would have the best claim to the family estate in Greece.

Hanging up after reminding the man he was the male heir and that he had a son. He added that Sam was barren and unable to move. Calling his aunt, he snapped "Put Spoon Island on the market."

"Are you sure?" she asked soberly.

"Just do it, or do I have to go to another attorney?" he said.

"Consider it done." she said hanging up then turned to Johnny O'Brien. "Are you still looking to buy Wyndemere?"

"Yes we are." he said then made a call. "Tell him ten million."

"I will pass it on later this week." said Alexis leaving his hospital room and heading down to see the one person she didn't want to. But Sam had been begging for her to come and Alexis knew she had no one.

Entering she saw the woman in the bed that was tilted so she could see people. "How are you?"

"I want to sue Jason Morgan and Elizabeth Webber. Then I want you to make sure that Nik gives me my share of the Cassidine estate. And if you don't... you will never find out what happened to your real heir. Spinelli and I found the proof in the files your brother had. I can just as easily make it disappear."

Looking at the woman she had thought of as her daughter, Alexis gave a cold smile then said.....

TBC


	18. Chapter 18 A Promise Kept

A/N: When I was writing this was the second half of the last chapter, that is why it ended where it did. I wasn't actually trying to be evil. It just happens, so sorry, well not really. Luke isn't responsible for the hidden items and you get more information on that this chapter, but that isn't the end of it. And I haven't decided on Alexis's kid, I am thinking of bringing someone knew on for the role. As for Spazzpants, no she can't die. I want to make her life a living hell, instead. For some people, death is the easy way out. And I too love porn hair. At least on Jason.

**Chapter 18: A Promise Kept**

**Entering she saw the woman in the bed that was tilted so she could see people. "How are you?"**

**"I want to sue Jason Morgan and Elizabeth Webber. Then I want you to make sure that Nik gives me my share of the Cassidine estate. And if you don't... you will never find out what happened to your real heir. Spinelli and I found the proof in the files your brother had. I can just as easily make it disappear."**

Looking at the woman she had thought of as her daughter, Alexis gave a cold smile then said "Sam, give me one good reason not to tell you to go to hell. You have been nothing but trouble since the day you arrived in this town. And by the way, Jerry sent me a disk."

Seeing her jaw drop, Alexis said "I know all that Stefan had found out. You have nothing to use. No leverage. As for suing Elizabeth and Jason, there isn't an attorney alive who would touch the case."

"You are going to do it." she said with a cold smirk. "Alexis, I own you."

"No, actually you don't. And sue Nik all you want. He had to put Spoon Island up for sale today; there is nothing left, Sam."

"No, that isn't what I heard. An estate in Greece, worth millions." she said smugly.

"Entailed to the eldest grandchild. That my dear would be Spencer." Alexis said with a sly grin. "Turns out Courtney was good for something."

Sam hid her worry then said "Alexis, when you decide to try and figure out who your child is, let me know. I will be more than happy to sell you what Spinelli found out."

"You have nothing Sam, and no one." with that she walked to the door then turned to say "You played and lost. Elizabeth has Jason and his sons. I know that you have no money of your own, hell even your PI license was fake. What are you going to do now Sam? How are you going to survive? It's not like you can find a man and seduce him to take care of you now, is it?"

"Alexis just how long have you been drooling over Jason." she said with a cold grin of her own. "I saw you, you know. Kissing him. Jason doesn't want you, he thinks you are a cold fish, just like the rest of the men in your life. Poor pathetic Alexis."

Looking at the woman in the hospital bed, Alexis said "Did you enjoy the show, Johnny said that you were watching. He also said too bad you couldn't take lessons, that you need them. Good sex is when they actually talk to your during the act. And I am not talking about when they say "Yes baby, more baby."

"You know nothing about how men react to me." she retorted only for Alexis to give a sad laugh and say "Sam, you are an easy and convenient lay, that is all. Sonny went running back to Carly and Ric was desperately trying to find a way to get Elizabeth back, same with Lucky and Jason. Funny how three of the men you seem to think you left a memorable impression all were desperate to get with her. That alone tells me something."

Alexis walked to the door then turned to say. "They really all just not that into you."

Sam was mentally screaming as she found herself trying to move and couldn't. This wasn't fair. She didn't deserve this. She should be the one with everything, after all she had gone through, she deserved to finally win one.

~~*~~

Monica took the paper and thanked the clerk before calling Diane Miller. "Thank you for your help."

"You are welcome. I hope it brings you a measure of solace." she said looking at the list in front of her. "When will they have the results back?"

"Today, Alan is also coming home this evening. Everyone is going to be there and I would love to invite you over, so just say yes and show up." said the blond doctor.

"I have to regretfully decline, I have a meeting with Mac Scorpio when he arrives back from Canada." she said looking at her appointment book and wondering what the former commissioner wanted.

Heading to the mansion, Monica saw suitcases spread all over the place and went to the living room where she could hear the voices coming from. "Ned, Dillon, wow!"

Seeing Skye trying to keep Lilarae from pulling the books down on herself, she found herself smiling at the noise and confusion. "Monica, what is going on? All Tracy would say was for Lilarae and I to get here, now"

"Wait, is this everyone?" she asked then seeing Brooklynn and her mother coming in from the kitchen, she said "Okay. Alan and AJ are alive."

After the shouts and whats, she said "Sit down and I will explain." Telling them the story, they were stunned and then saddened when they heard about Emily. "So AJ has custody of Michael and he took him to this treatment center?"

"Ned, I know. But yes, it is true." she said with a smile. "Jason is staying with Elizabeth at the Hardy's"

"What about da-Alan?" asked Skye as she picked up Lilarae.

"He is coming home this evening. If you don't mind leaving Lilarae with Alice, why don't you come with me to get him?" she asked shocking the red head.

"Are you sure?" she asked sitting down next to Dillon who himself was in shock at the idea of Georgie. Brooklynn tried to comfort her uncle but he looked at her and said "No, I am fine."

Skye soon left with Monica and Dillon went about calling Maxie to find her sister only to be told that she had no idea where she was. "How is that possible?"

"She has been distant." said Maxie as she went to see what messages Kate had called and left.

Sitting down at Kate's desk, she heard an ahem. Looking up she saw her boss, her eyes widened and she said "I can explain?"

"Is that a question or a statement, Maxie?" asked Kate as she entered the room followed by Olivia.

"I thought you were in Paris?" she said weakly.

"We were, I had to come here to testify in regards to the lawsuit." said Olivia coolly. Kate then ordered Maxie to get back to the files then asked "Where would my other assistant be?"

"Running errands, I believe." said Maxie.

"Hopefully my errands or she can consider herself fired."

"Her brother, Lucky was shot by Sam McCall and died." she said only for Kate to say "Then she should have called me, not left you to offer excuses."

Mac had no sooner exited the plane then he got the message to call Frisco. "What?"

"What is Georgie up to?" snapped the older blond.

"What are you talking about?" asked Mac driving towards town.

"She keeps going to the park and sitting on the steps." said the spy. "Just sitting there in the cold December weather."

Counting to ten at while stuck in traffic, Mac finally maneuvered over to the park road. Pulling into an empty space he found his daughter sitting the one place he never wanted to see her again. "Georgie?"

Looking up, she said "Dad." Then looking back at the step between her legs she said "Do you ever wonder, what is next? What do I do now?"

"All the time, is this about being gone?" he asked awkwardly before sitting down next to her.

"Yes and no. I had lunch with Tracy Quartermaine today, she offered me a job. How is that for funny?" she asked with a bitter laugh. "I told her no, but I don't really even know what it is I want to do. I mean, I decided against Italy, school is really just a holding station. Who is Georgie Jones and what do I want to do with my life?"

"Georgie, I spent years asking myself those questions, it took meeting your Mom and then raising you and your sister for me to find the answers." he said gently. "You don't have to have all the answers today."

Looking at him, she said "Dad, Maxie, Miss unorganized and who lives in total chaos has got the answers, but I don't. Did time pass me by, is it too late?"

Hugging her, he said "It is never too late. But give yourself some time, you have enough funds in the bank to take your time, so do it."

"That money feels like it belongs to someone else." she said quietly. "To the girl who thought she would conquer the world."

"Oh, honey, you still have lots of time to do that. For now, why don't I see if Diane Miller or Alexis needs an assistant, you can decide if being a lawyer is really what you want to do." Mac had another offer in mind but he was going to wait before making it.

"Maybe Diane, Alexis is a little too stuffy for me." she said. Hugging her dad, she stood then offered him her hand. "Thanks."

"Just doing my job." he said then said "In the same line as that, you really need to talk to Maxie."

"About what." she said annoyed. "If she apologizes for something there is no need to do that for again, I am going to smack her into next week. All I want is to be left alone. She is so awkward, so uncomfortable with me. And I just... Dad, while I love her as a sister, I spent a lot of time thinking about things and while it hurts to admit, I don't like my own sister, not as a person. If she was someone I knew at school, I would go out of my way to avoid her."

"But she is your sister, and you need to talk to her." he said kissing her forehead. "And do me a favor, try to stay away from Johnny, it gives Frisco fits every time you are with him." Mac saw the look on her face and groaned, "Why do I think telling you that was a big mistake?"

"Dad, I have an appointment at the DMV, Harper pulled me over and reminded me I don't have a valid license, so I will see you later." with that she left and took a cab to the courthouse while Mac went to his meeting with Diane.

"So, what is going on?" she asked the curly haired man who sat down across from her.

"I have just been informed that I am receiving a finders fee from Homeland Security." he said "For the diamonds that were lost at the Metrocourt. It was cleared because I am no longer a cop, but I need advice."

"About?" she asked leaning back and "How many diamonds?"

"The entire thing. They don't think Spencer knew they were on the boat only one turned up. As for monetary value, try one hundred million."

"Meaning your share is at least a million." she replied.

"That isn't the only thing. There was a reward out for the briefcase, we found it."

"So if my calculations are correct, you should have... oh my... that is a lot of shoes." she said sitting up and staring at Mac. "What do you need from me?"

"An attorney, because I am going to reopen my nightclub and my agency. When you consider that McCall and Spinelli were the only other detectives in town... I don't think I have too much to worry about."

"Why even bother?" she asked.

"I miss it, I miss the rush and the girls are adults now. And frankly I am sick and tired of being a cop." he said. "Abbott is doing a good job, and he is trying to talk a few of my former detectives into coming back now that most of the corruption is gone."

"Yes, but two businesses, are you up for that? No offense but you are a bit older." she reminded him.

"I know, but this is just going to be a nightclub, no dinners except on special occasions, And I have enough contacts now that it shouldn't be that hard to work on getting licensed." he said. "I need to do something and I actually have a potential partner in mind for the agency."

"Anyone I know?" she asked.

"No, at least I don't think so. Did you ever meet my daughter, Georgie?" he asked. "She has her mother's instincts and can handle herself. Plus she was in her third year of pre-law when she was grabbed by Jerry."

"So if she continues with school... I get what you are thinking." she replied. "You are going to need something in the mean time."

"Oh, I can't tell you anymore than that." he said with a smirk.

~~*~~

AJ watched Michael sleep, seeing how restless the blond was, he knew that he was having bad dreams, but wasn't expecting him to sit up screaming. Holding his son, AJ calmed him down then asked what was causing the dreams?

"I keep seeing Dominic, or rather Dante going over that bridge with Sonny standing there. Sometimes, I am him and and he is watching me get tossed over." he said pulling in on himself. "I hate this, I hate that my life was so screwed up."

Looking up, Michael whispered "Are you sure Sonny is dead. I keep seeing him coming for me, telling me that I am going to pay for killing his son."

"Yes, Jason made sure to verify it." said AJ. Looking at his watch he said "We should be landing soon."

"Where are we again?" he asked.

"Just outside of Oregon, in Washington." he said then hearing the phone beep, answered it. "Thanks Jax."

"What is it?" asked Michael.

"We are going to be landing in an hour. Do you want to try and get some sleep?" AJ asked.

"No, tell me something, tell me about you and Uncle Jason."

AJ sat back and said "Well, when Johnny and I arrived, your uncle was already shot a couple of times. Johnny was going to stay while I got Jason out. He was in bad shape and holding his head saying it hurt in spite of the bullets. We went to this hospital in Mexico, they fixed the GSW's, but the bleeding turned out to be worse than expected."

"That was when your Uncle's plan went to heck. Sam showed back up and you know that part." said AJ. "We, your real uncle and I stayed at the clinic and he told me about you and about Elizabeth and the boys."

"He loves them, doesn't he?" asked the blond envious but accepting.

"Yes, but he was so worried and things back home were so screwed up. See, Elizabeth and her sons should have come first, but..."

"Uncle Jason couldn't put them first because of Mom and Dad and the others." said a knowing Michael. "What happened?"

"We started to solve the riddles, but we couldn't figure out the San Francisco one. Steve Webber and Elizabeth and your grandmother did."

"What was it?" When Michael heard he laughed and said "You all were just too lame. I mean a Cage, a seven, please, Nick Cage and Sean Connery, that movie has the best chase scene ever." said the younger blond. "Besides, I like to watch it knowing it makes Mom crazy, did you know Brenda was in it as the girl friend."

Looking at his son, he said "You do have a bit of Quartermaine in you, don't you. That is something we would have done."

"Yup, Mom banned the movie after seeing the scene where she is about to have sex with Nick Cage." said Michael giggling. "So what happened next on this great quest?"

Giving him the details as much as he thought Michael could handle, AJ found the hour passed quickly then it was time to land. Michael sobered up when the two men came with the cuffs and held out his hands. "Dad, you will be there?"

"All the time. Until you are sick of me." vowed AJ as he followed him to the van with the reinforced steel. Praying under his breath, AJ said "I only hope we get to you healthy."

~~*~~

Alan was bit cranky by the time Monica had driven him home. "I just want to sleep in my own bed without annoying nurses coming in every two hours to see if I had any trouble sleeping. I would have been fine if they had just let me sleep."

"Not a lot of fun on the other side of the stethoscope is it." said Skye. She had been shocked that Monica had not only invited her along but had given her time with Alan alone. Now she was sitting in the back seat with her father in spite of having offered to drive.

"No, I can't wait until I find out if I can go back to work." he said with a heavy sigh. "Plus, your brothers own the hospital now, I think I can count on them giving me back my job."

"Not as chief of staff." warned Monica. "You know that it killed Steven, so don't even think about asking for it back. Let his grandson handle it." She had been surprised when AJ had awkwardly told her what they had planned, she had been amused to realize that her sons had felt like they were firing her and Patrick. Neither of them had truly wanted the job and were relieved to be getting back to their own specialties.

"I know, dear." he said then meeting her eyes in the rear view mirror he said "But I can still teach and last I knew we were still a teaching hospital in spite of the damage that fool Ford did. Why you didn't take the job when it was offered..."

"Yes Edward." said emphasizing his father's name. Skye couldn't help chuckling because she had been thinking he was reminding her of the older man. "Speaking of your father, he is on his way into the airport, Tracy is meeting him and bringing him straight home."

"I still want to know how you got him out of town. I would have thought you would have had to pry the keys to ELQ out of his hands." Asked Skye.

"We used Lila, it worked." said Monica with a sad smile. "Now Alan, remember what Leo Julian said, take it easy."

When they had entered and Alan had been given a bear hug from Alice, everyone else soon joined in including Elizabeth who had brought the boys. "Where is Jason?"

"Working believe it or not. He did want to be here." said Elizabeth assuring him that things had indeed changed. Looking around she saw the boys playing with Lilarae with Dillion supervising.

After Monica had gotten Alan seated, she joined the younger woman and asked if everything was okay?

"Yes, Jason was just worried about a few things. Olivia is in town and she is still blaming Michael for Dante and there were a few other things he needed to get done." she didn't want to tell Monica but she got the feeling that Jason was going to be dealing with Nik that night as well.

"I got confirmation, Emily is back in the family vault. She did die of cancer." said Monica with a sad grin. "At least Jerry returned her."

"Are you going to arrange for a service?" she asked dreading the idea of Nik showing up.

"A small one, at the vault." Hearing the phone ring, she had a quick talk with AJ who let them know that Michael had arrived in Washington in one piece.

~~*~~

Spinelli was let into the room and saw the same dark haired man from earlier waiting with a file in front of him. "Sit down."

Looking at him, Spinelli quickly sat then was told. "My name is Special Agent-in-charge Jagger Cates."

"Don't bother, I won't betray my master to you." he said hotly.

"You are not here for that. You are hear to listen." he said then made Spinelli listen to the same disks that Jason had earlier that day. "Now for what you didn't hear. We found the briefcase that was in the Metrocourt. Jerry Jacks led Mac Scorpio to it"

"So, I knew nothing about it." said Spinelli.

"WE know, you are just listening remember? We also found the payment, looks like it was hid at the same time. Diamonds, more specifically blood diamonds, do you know what they are?" he asked.

Seeing him nod yes, Jagger continued. "We have been monitoring you for weeks, I have enough on you to send you to a maximum security lock down in Kentucky for the rest of your natural life. From the worm in this computer, to the accessing the federal terrorist database. Your pal Sam has been connected to money laundering and drug running here in town. While she was working with Det. Spencer at least four shipments went missing. She is our only lead."

"Sam wouldn't...."

"I talk, you listen, remember?" said Jagger as he went through the laundry list of charges. "Finally, we have proof connecting you to what happened to Elizabeth Webber. That mess alone... really, did you do any research on your victim or did you just attack?"

Uneasy, Spinelli said "What are you talking about?"

"The illegally accessing her funds and giving them to Lucky Spencer. You transferred fourteen thousand dollars from one account to the next. Anything over ten thousand triggers a safe guard. My technician has you, dead to rights. Add that to your altering her medical records including the drugs she needed after the toxic ball incident here and we have attempted murder charges."

"No, I didn't mean to kill her, I just wanted her weak, so that I could prove that fair Samantha was a better match for my master." he said desperately then once the damn broke the rest came forth like water flowing under a bridge as Spinelli confessed to everything.

Looking at him, Jagger gave him a cold grin then said "Thank you, now you have two choices. Prison, or we can work out a deal. You come to work for me, taking down mobsters with your rather unique talents and insider information or you go to prison, what will it be?"

"I want to talk to my master, I need his advice." said Spinelli only for Jagger to laugh.

"Who do you think brought me in. He wants prison but knows that I can use you and that I won't be influenced by your pathetic manners."

"One more thing, Jason knew what Sam would do, that she would go to the FBI, he let it happen, let her betray Sonny and the others. What do you think the five families would have done to her? What they will do to her if this were to become public knowledge." he subtlety threatened.

Spinelli turned white and knew he had no choice. "I will work for you."

"Good choice, one more thing, you are dead as of today. Morgan wants you far, far away from his family and you are going to be signing a piece of paper saying you understand."

~~*~~

Jason walked away from the meeting then hurried to the safe house. Seeing the vase right where it was supposed to be, Jason tipped it up and took out the key and the ring. He knew Elizabeth wasn't ready yet, but someday, he hoped she would.

Hurrying to the Hardy residence he was a bit surprised to only see Jeff and Audrey there. "Where is everyone?"

"Alan came home today." said the older man who watched as Jason handed something to Audrey then left quickly. "Well, I guess talking to Elizabeth is out tonight."

"Probably. Jeff, she is still dealing with a lot, I don't know if she will ever be ready to deal with that part of her past. You were the parent it was your responsibility. Yes she hurt your feelings by rejecting you, but frankly she was a kid. What was your excuse?"

"I have none. I just see her with her boys, with her friends, with Morgan and envy the relationship she has, even the one with Morgan right now. She at least is letting him in."

"They were out looking at houses today. They found one they liked but the owners are out of the country right now." Audrey sighed then said "I was hoping they would stick around, but this place is a little crowded."

~~*~~

Luke found himself shackled and his feet chained to the floor of the van and said "I don't need this, I am just attending my son's funeral."

The guards ignored him, then when they arrived, refused his request to attend without the hardware.

"No and stop asking Mr. Spencer." snapped one of the men. They had been told that if they lost the prisoner, they were fired and no one wanted to be fired just before Christmas.

Once inside, Luke took in the pitiful group that included his sister, her son, his daughter and son along with Laura and her mother. "Where is Nik?"

"I asked him not to come. Lucky and he weren't on speaking terms." said Bobbie.

"And Elizabeth, where is Lucky's great love and why isn't she here?" he sneered.

"Luke, tone it down, right now, I have spent the morning getting an earful on this family and frankly Elizabeth is the least culpable in this mess. Sam McCall killed our son, not Elizabeth." snapped Laura.

"Elizabeth is the reason behind it." stated Lulu with absolute certainty.

"No, she isn't. If people had stopped playing games and let Elizabeth and Jason be, none of this would have happened. Now this is a celebration of Lucky's life, such as it was." said Laura. "Stop thinking about who isn't here and lets concentrate on who is."

The short serviced ended and they all went back to the Brownstone where Laura called Scotty and said "Pick me up."

"You aren't staying?" asked Luke from where he stood between the two guards.

"No, I prefer to remember my son as he was years ago, that is the Lucky I will mourn." she said then looking at him said "Luke, take this time, think about things. I don't know who you are anymore and I don't think you do either."

Hugging her crying daughter, Laura quickly left after telling Bobbie she was sorry. Laura had had a full visit in the short time she had been there, including learning how Deception had burnt down and how Nik had illegally sold the property because he was deep in debt. Letting the blond leave, Bobbie looked at the three remaining and said "Lucas what time is your plane?"

"In the morning, I am going to head up to bed." Bobbie told the others about the Haunted Star and that it had been sold for parts, she couldn't help seeing how nervous and angry Ethan was and made a quick call to Mac after he left. Then grabbing her coat went to see Alan and Monica.

~~*~~

That night, Elizabeth walked down to the study and asked "Jason, what are you doing?"

Showing her the post cards that the boys had bought, he said "Planning a family vacation."

"Did you think about my offer?" she asked feeling nervous. She had talked to her grandmother who had agreed but she still felt a bit guilty.

When she sat down next to him, Jason said "First, I have something for you." Handing her the wooden box, he saw the way the blue glass lit up the room with only the reflections of light off of the fireplace. "Tip it upside down."

When the key and ring landed in her lap, Jason said "This ring, is a promise ring. A promise that as long as you need me to wait, I will. The key, is to a safe deposit box. No one but you can access it but just keep it until you are ready."

"Jason, why do I think the answer is no." she said sadly as he placed the Claddagh ring on her.

"You would be right. I don't think that the boys are ready for that and I know you aren't. I can see it in your eyes, Elizabeth." he said with a sad smile. "When you are ready, even just to sleep in the same bed, I think we both will know."

"Jason..." He placed his hand over her mouth and said "No, you aren't. I love you and will wait. I promise."

"I think you are over-thinking this. It is just an offer of a space in the bed." she said gently.

"Not for me, for me it is a sign we are moving closer and right now, I think that it would be a mixed signal." with that he kissed her gently then said "Good night."

Returning the kiss, she sadly went up to bed alone. Jason laid back down, knowing Elizabeth was upset, but he wanted a future and he knew that for that to happen, they had to be completely open and honest and Elizabeth was still hiding in the shadows.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19 Reactions and Actions

_**Chapter 19 Actions and Reactions**_

Georgie entered the house and was slipping up the stairs to bed when she heard the tears coming from Maxie's room. Entering she rubbed her sister's back, hoping to sooth her, only to freeze when she heard the blond saying "Mom, she hates me."

Maxie rolled over and Georgie couldn't help it, she laughed at the mascara running down her checks then when she saw how upset her sister was, handed her a mirror.

Shrieking, she ran to the bathroom, waking Mac and the houseguests while Georgie couldn't help it, she just kept on chuckling. "Relax we aren't being attacked, unless you consider black streaks a reason to scream."

Robert went back to bed grumbling while Anna and Felicia looked at one another and realized the two girls needed this time alone and grabbed Mac and dragged him back to his room. "Let them be."

"Uh, Maxie." asked Georgie as she tried not to laugh, "Are you okay in there?"

Opening the door, the blond glared at her sister then said "Why?"

"Get some warm clothes on, it is snowing, then come with me." she said. Downstairs, she grabbed two of Mac's to go coffee thermos and made them some hot tea. Seeing her sister, she led her out into the dark and said "You know, I am going to miss driving Mac's car."

Getting in, Maxie chuckled then said "Are you buying one?"

Looking at her sister with a measured glare, she said "No, I am taking mine back."

Swearing softly, Maxie said "I forgot... I uh, kind of had an minor accident in mine."

Looking at her sister then pulling out of the drive, Georgie said "Could you find the channel with all the Christmas music?"

When they arrived down at the docks, the two sat down on the bench while the snow gently swirled around them not seeing the blond woman who had stopped when she saw them. She had intended to talk to Maxie at first, but then just stood quietly watching what was going on.

It was silent for a few minutes then Georgie said "I am not mad about Spinelli. In a way, I feel bad for you for even being involved with him. I just can't believe you were considering marrying him. Seriously, Maxie did you lose your mind?"

Looking down, Maxie thought about it as the cold water lapped up against the dock then said "He was a way of keeping you close, at first. Then I was the center of his world, at least it felt that way... but now, I realize that Jason was busy with Elizabeth so Spinelli tried to use me as a distraction. Then later on, I was supposed to be Sam to him."

"Wow." said Georgie looking at her. "How do you feel about that?"

"Sick. I slept with Lucky not that long ago, I had been feeling left out, alone. Lucky said some things and then wouldn't give me a ride. I called for a cab and was told it would be an hour. I didn't want to sit on the Spencer porch like a loser so I walked. And I thought about what Lucky had said and then what was going on with Jason or rather the man I thought was Jason.... well anyhow, I figured things out. Woke up to a few things. Spinelli was at the house, and Lucky, you know... I had forgot he knew a lot about computers. Well, he sent Spin a tape of us. I was relieved, in a way. I said a few things, then made him leave."

"How are you doing now?" she asked as she took a sip of the hot black tea.

"Better, I am finally seeing things clearly." Maxie hugged her sister then said "I screwed up a lot of things, more than you can ever imagine, but I am glad you are home to tell me when I am messing up."

"Isn't that what sisters are for?" she asked ruefully. "Do you like working for the magazine?"

"Yes, Kate is great, even when she is being a bitch. She is what I want to be... well minus the getting shot at her wedding and being involved with Sonny," she said honestly while their silent witness laughed at that one. "Georgie, why won't you talk to me about Alaska?"

"There really is nothing to talk about, I am fine." she insisted.

"Then how about telling me what went on, please?" plead her sister.

"Like I said, not much to tell. I woke up on a plane with Jerry Jacks telling me to be silent then when I screamed he said "No one can hear you and the pilot works for me. He said he had wanted you, not me, but that it wasn't the first time he had made that mistake."

"What did he mean?" she asked.

"When he grabbed Emily he had intended to grab some dark haired nurse. The one you ripped the pearl off of." she said.

"Why Leyla?" she asked. "Did he ever tell you?"

"No, but I think it was about Dr. Quartermaine, who he already had. He needed someone to take care of him. AJ was already there but he had no medical knowledge and it turns out he is squeamish." she said with a sad chuckle. "Then you knew something about the safe that he needed, I never knew what."

Maxie hesitated then asked "What happened with Emily?"

"Her cancer came back, we didn't figure it out at first, then Alan did. AJ and I came up with a plan, in spite of Jerry's warnings. It worked, but in the end, it didn't. Emily died and then that bastard Jerry took her body." she said her hands shaking as she sat down her coffee cup.

"Then, Jerry shot the guard. I can still see him hitting the ground. He just left him there, and then left us, alone again." she said. "He brought another guard over for winter, this one... this one was younger. He was scary..."

Maxie had heard the whispering between her parents and hugged her sister. "You handled him. I don't know that I could have."

"You would have. When it is your life you would be surprised how strong you can be." she said quietly. "If they hadn't come to help us, I would have had to kill him... it's hard to face that. I almost did shoot Johnny."

With a soft giggle, Maxie said "I heard. You know, his sister tried to hire me to seduce him away from Lulu. I did at first try but he wasn't interested. Then when he was trying to end things with Lulu, we flirted a bit..."

"Do you like him that way?" she asked surprised.

"No, I mean he is attractive, but mainly he was my first swipe at ending things with Spinelli. He is too, I don't know... something. I did think of him as a friend but that ended when... well... I just... Claudia's death and I knew what happened. I felt guilty about not telling him then I just... it is strange. He was a friend to me, but I wasn't to him. Now seeing him... I think he likes you."

"Likes me? What are we twelve and passing notes in study hall?" asked Georgie mocking her sister. "John is fine, but I am no where near ready to deal with any man. I just think of him as a friend, the same way he thinks of me. We are both lonely."

"Why are you lonely, I mean, Dillon is in town, same with Brooklynn. You have me, and everyone else." she asked not understanding what Georgie was saying.

"That is just it. I love all of you, but I need to be me first. And right now, I don't know who that is and your pal Johnny had no preconceived ideas of me." she said. "I talked to Diane Miller after she had an appointment with Dad today. I am going to work for her. Doing research and stuff."

"That is so boring." said Maxie at a huff. "You should come to work at Crimson, Kate is looking for another assistant."

"Maxie, I find THAT to be boring." she said with a chuckle. "No, the job for Diane suits me. I have talked to my former dean and have only to attend school this spring and prepare for my LSAT"s. I would run screaming from the building if I worked doing what you do."

With a heavy sigh, Maxie said "I just... you and I... we just..."

"We will." she said hugging her then seeing a shadow, squinted then said "Lulu why don't you show yourself?"

The blond walked out then said "Hello Georgie. Good to see you."

Two could play this game, thought Georgie. "You too, how are you doing?"

"Well I would be better, but Sam shot Lucky for some unknown reason and Elizabeth caused Nik and him to fight. Then she was the reason that Carly was taken away by Jax. Jason won't help me get her free because of Elizabeth's sons. And Dad went to jail because of the FBI."

Shaking her head, Georgie said "Wow, you haven't changed a bit. If you will excuse me, we have to get home."

"That is why I stopped, Maxie, I need to know if you are going to pay rent this month." she said. "You are going to have to pay the whole shot because I am moving into my Aunts and we have a lease."

Annoyed Maxie said "Lulu, that doesn't matter, we are each responsible for half the rent. We signed that lease together."

"No, I told them you were taking it over." she said. "Besides, I need the money since Dad can't give me any and Carly never paid me but I already spent what she promised me."

"That is your problem." snapped Maxie. "You make the same amount I do, and yet I can pay my own bills without help."

"Well that is because you are used to being poor, I have always had money." she snapped.

Blinking at that lie, Georgie said "Lulu a lease is a contract, you have to pay your share. Why don't you ask your brothers to help you out or even find the money that Carly paid Lucky to seduce my sister, that should tide you over."

Shocked, Lulu walked away in a hurry. She had to get to her mother's house, she had forgotten about the money. Arriving she quickly went to Lucky's hiding spot and was pissed when she only found a few loose bills. Slamming her way out of the house, she drove to the Brownstone and went to find Ethan who was staying there.

Shaking him awake she said "Did you take it?"

"Take what?" he asked groggily. "What are you going on about Lulu?"

"The money, Lucky's money?"

Sitting up, Ethan's senses sharpened then cursed as he said "No, I forgot he had been paid by Carly. Who else knew about that spot? Elizabeth?"

"No, Lucky always said he had to hide money from her because she would only let him have a little bit. Nik, you, me and maybe... I wonder if Sam knew about it?"

"You get some sleep, I will ask her." he said going to get dressed.

Arriving at GH, Ethan slipped quietly into the room and found the woman awake. "Did you steal Lucky's money when you killed him?"

"What? No, I didn't kill Lucky. I was framed by Jerry Jack." she said. "That tape is a fraud, it was something that happened in Mexico, it was a coin...." Furious she couldn't move, Sam was suddenly scared. That outfit had been all she had HAD TO WEAR. Alfred had claimed the maid spilled water on the floor above and it had leaked onto her clothes.

Had her half brother been in cahoots with Jerry all along? Had she been set up to die by Nik? Sweating, Sam said "Get out. I didn't steal Lucky's money, 'sides, why would I give a crap about a few thousand dollars?"

Reaching for the call button with her teeth, Sam kept pressing until a nurse came. "I need to see the police, NOW!"

"Yes ma'am." she said then went to call the station. Told they would send someone early in the morning, the nurse informed the patient who said "If I am dead, tell them that my brother killed me."

Early the next morning, Jagger was in with Commissioner Abbott when the desk sergeant gave him the message. "How about letting me deal with this?"

"Fine." said the man as he went back to dealing with the more normal crimes on his docket. "Send someone to talk to the councilwoman, get her side of the story before telling her to remove it please?"

Jagger arrived at the hospital and knocked on Sam McCall's door. "Miss McCall, I am Special Agent-in-Charge Jagger Cates. The police asked me to deal with you."

"My brother paired up with Jerry Jacks to frame me for the death of Lucky Spencer his brother."

"Why would he do this?" he said sitting down and taking out his notebook.

"Money, I just found out that Alexis Davis isn't my mother that Stefan Cassidine was my biological father. I don't know the how, but it turns out that he is also Nik's father putting us on equal status to inherit the Cassidine Empire which he had driven into the ground."

"And? I need proof, Miss McCall and we both know your word isn't credible." he said. "I am acquainted with your brother and frankly I don't see why he would do this."

"M-O-N-E-Y" she snapped. "I want my share of it and he paired with Jerry to stop me from getting it."

"Fine, I will arrange for someone to look into it." he said closing his notebook.

"You don't understand, I need police protection" she said "I am a sitting duck. He could kill me and I would have no way of defending myself."

"We will warn Mr. Cassidine off." he said. "I will also have someone else look into this, so that there can be no claim of bias. Frankly after what you did to the Morgan boy, I don't have a lot of sympathy for you. Now you know what Jake felt like."

Sam swore then said "I would take this seriously before I sue the FBI, you and the Port Charles police department."

"Miss McCall, someone will look into this, I came here expecting you to try and make a deal for your freedom like Mr. Spinelli did. I am not equipped to help you."

"A deal? Spinelli made a deal with what?" she asked laughing. "He doesn't know anything. If you want Morgan, you should have come to me."

"No thanks, like I said you have a credibility problem." he replied. Then walking to the door he turned and repeated what Harper had pointed out to the DA the day before.

"Miss McCall, something for you to think about... Sonny, went to jail then died. Why wasn't Jason protecting him? Carly, his ex-wife was just sent to a mental institution, why didn't Jason free her? You are here, has he stopped by once to offer help? No, he hasn't. Because he was the one who suggested Raynor make you an offer to deal with Sonny. Mr. Spinelli, well he is going to be working for me. Informants don't have a long lifespan especially when taking on the mob. I would say Jason is dealing with all that hurt Elizabeth and his sons."

~~~*~~~

Jason had just checked on the boys when he walked past the door where Elizabeth was sleeping. Hearing noises, he quietly knocked then entered to realize she was dreaming. Seeing the blankets at her feet and knowing it had to be cold, Jason was gently covering her up when he heard her saying his name in a panicked voice.

"_No, please, Jason. Don't do this." _

"_Sam, do you really hate me this much, that you would steal my son?"_

"_NO, please, god Jason. Why? I thought you loved me... I thought you loved me." _

Jason felt his heart stop at the broken sound of Elizabeth's voice and could guess what she was dreaming. Reaching out, he had just about touched her when he heard something that hurt even worse.

"_Nik, please, Nik. I will do whatever you want please, just help me get back my children."_

"_I can't, I can't do that. Please, anything but that." _

"_Jason, why are you doing this? You were fine with me being married to Lucky but you don't like me with Nik? Why, did he endanger Jake? Hire men to hurt him? No that was the tramp you are sleeping with, so don't you dare say that."_

"_I have never forgiven her anymore than I should have forgiven you or that bitch Courtney." _

Jason recoiled at the tone, then went to the doorway. Seeing Audrey there, he saw the measured look in her eyes just before she said "Going to run again, are you?"

"She has a right to hate me." he said quietly. "I did things, stupid things over the years that hurt her terribly. Yet, hearing her call out for Nik, asking him to help her, It kills me." he said with his head dropping. "She doesn't trust me and I don't blame her."

"Yes, there is blame there, but what about you? Are you angry with her, that is why you two aren't where you should be, because you haven't talk about all of it. You do what you need to make things okay now, but the pain is still there, festering underneath." she said walking to her door. "Jason, leave if you must, but I think you might be better off staying."

Jason got downstairs, as far as the great room and was going to get his coat when he saw the paperwork from Diane. Thinking on what was written inside, Jason tossed his coat on the sofa and starred at the stairs in anger. Finally he went back upstairs and sat down in the chair in Elizabeth's room and waited for her to get past the nightmare.

Hearing his phone beeping, he looked at the text then called Cody. "Did you track him down?"

"Yes, Max Giambetti did. He is in Sicily. His father plans on dealing the Jerry." said Cody being sure to keep his voice at an even tone.

Jason had wanted to deal with the man himself, but knew that he had no standing with the elder Giambetti and could end up costing him even more capital. "Call, no I will do it. You make it known about Spinelli to the families."

"I took care of it. What about Sam?" asked Cody, as far as he was concerned that was who deserved the worst punishment, not the kid she had played but would Morgan have it in him to take out his ex-lover?

"Leave her hanging, Sam is going no wheres and I have other things to deal with." he said then feeling eyes on him he looked up to see Elizabeth staring at him. There was a darkness in her, he could see it there in her eyes. Wondering if now was the best time for them to talk, he hurried up and ended his call with Cody.

"Are you up for a bike ride, the roads are clear." he asked quietly.

"No, how about we go for a drive." She had seen Sam on that bike repeatedly and had no intention of getting on it ever again. She had always believed that bike rides had been special for them, instead she had come to realize he used it for an escape no matter who he was with.

"Fine. You need to put on some warm clothes, they plowed the road pretty good but it is still snowy and cold out there." Leaving he went to see if Audrey was up and found his mother there as well. "When did you arrive.

"Five minutes ago, I am here to bring the boys to see Alan, I should warn you that Edward might be there as well." she said then went back to gossiping and drinking coffee with Audrey. When Elizabeth came downstairs, she had pulled her hair back in a elastic band and was dressed warmly. Grabbing her coat, she said "Where are we going?"

"Someplace we can be alone." he said as he drove to the studio. Upon entering he saw the mess and the new sofa and said "When did you redecorate?"

"I didn't, I just had the old sofa removed after sleeping with Nik. Steven asked if I still had this place and wanted to store his sofa here." she said shrugging as she walked in. Jason flinched at home calmly she mentioned having sex with Nik in the place he considered theirs. "Jason, why are we here?"

"You had a nightmare last night, do you remember it?" he asked quietly then when she said no, he said "I can see it in your eyes, stop lying Elizabeth, please."

"What? You want to hear about how I dreamed you and Sam took my kids away and how everyone in town turned against me for doing nothing more than what all of them have done more than once." she said with a bitter tone. "How I dreamed that even Nik betrayed me when I had begged him for help? How I dreamed that you told me I got what I deserved for asking you to give your son away just before you turned to Carly and told her that she was right, I didn't deserve to be a mother to your children. I asked you Jason, I asked you to help keep the nightmare away and you said no."

"You NEVER ASKED me that." he said.

"Really, I seem to recall asking you to stay with me last night, but you were being noble, said no. But that is what you do best, be noble for me." she said. "You are only yourself with those other people. With Robin, you could walk away, for Michael you could walk away from this world, but for me, for Jake, of course not, Elizabeth. Michael needs me, Carly needs me. What about just once, Jason, thinking about what I need?"

"Like your need to feel better about yourself so you asked me to walk away from my son?" he snapped. "Like your need to rescue that bastard Zander, then Ric then Lucky."

"But that is what I do best isn't it?" she mocked. "After all, I have rescues you, but strangely enough at least they appreciated it at the time, you just thank me then leave after we did business. Thank you for letting Courtney hit you, never mind you are blind. Poor, poor Courtney is going though a hard time and has gotten addicted to drugs."

When he started to talk she said "No, you want to do this we will do this. Or how about Sam, crying wolf, deliberately putting herself in danger, but she is some strong woman who can survive in your world, that is why you were letting her hang around after we ended wasn't it?"

"No and you know that." he said tersely.

"No, Jason I don't. What I do know is that while you were claiming it was too dangerous for you to be around us it was safe for Robin, safe for Emma, safe for every other single kid in this town." she snapped.

"Don't you get how badly it hurt me to walk away from you, why can't you ever give me a little credit for that?"

"Because Jason, you keep walking away and I have never seen once an expression of regret. Oh, I did for Courtney, when you walked away, same for Sam, but me and your son. Not even single tear." she said in an eerily hissing sound. "Do you ever think about how I felt with you walking away. That maybe I did feel like I wasn't good enough, that I felt like you wished something anyone other than I was the mother of your child."

"Stop it, it's not true and you know that." he said.

"No, Jason. I don't." she said. "I know that you want me to think that, but know it, no I don't." With that she walked over to the window and looked down. "If it wasn't for Jake, there are days I wish I never went into Jake's that night."

Flinching, Jason looked at her and then moved closer. "You don't mean that."

"Jason, I don't know, I mean I thought I knew how I felt before we came home. Yet since we have been here, every single time you have walked away, or pushed me away has been at the forefront of my mind. When I reached out to you, last night. You couldn't do one simple thing for me. Instead you gave me this ring." She said with a laugh. "Said it was a symbol of a promise of a future. But you have broken that promise before. I thought I was past my doubts, my fears, but you are right. I am not."

Jason moved to the small kitcnenette and said hoarsely "I would never walk away. I know I have in the past, but I truly have never felt like I deserved a life with you, with the boys."

"But you do now, why?" she asked looking at him. "What changed Jason? What caused you to finally take a good look at the users in your life. For me, it was seeing you kissing Sam. I finally realized I wasn't good enough. Then I realized that I was settling here, waiting for you to wake up and say to me. "Elizabeth I want my family." So I was going to leave. Going to take Jake and Cam and find someplace new."

"That wasn't me." he said quietly. "You know that now."

"But Jason from December to July, it was you. It was you letting her hang around after what she did to your son. Claudia is dead, you were planning on doing it yourself when you found proof she was behind what happened to Michael, yet you wouldn't do that for you own son. Why?"

"Because..." Jason stopped to look at her then said "Is that what you want, Sam dead?"

"That you even have to ask tells me just how far apart we are." she said. "This is also not about what I want. Did Sonny was her dead, or was that you. Was it different because you once loved Sam, because you were going to raise her kid? Is that you didn't deal with her like you did Faith, like you were planning on doing with Claudia?"

"I honestly don't know." he said. "I was looking for proof that she was involved with the second kidnapping before dealing with her."

"Did Faith get a second chance, would Claudia have if she had said she was sorry?" she asked then looking in his eyes said "I thought not. At least it answers my question."

When she was almost to the door, Jason said "And what about Lucky?"

"You can't compare the situations and you know it."

"I am not talking about the danger he created for the boys, I am talking about why weren't you this hard on him for letting her back into his life. You took him back, my guess would be without even bringing it up."

Looking at Jason, she said "Because Lucky is Lucky, but Jason, I have always thought better of you. I knew, or thought you were the one person who put kids first. What I never figured out was that the kids had to be connected to Sonny for that to happen."

"I can't believe you would say that." he said. "You know that isn't true."

"Really because actions speak louder than words. Why didn't you kill Ric, when he hurt Carly?"

"Because Sonny told me not to." he said. "Carly was his wife and he got to make the decisions or yes what you are trying to ask I would have killed him."

"Strange, you went against Sonny's orders and beat him up for Sam's lies about his raping her." with a sad chuckle, "Now do you see why I wonder?"

When the door closed, Jason sat down numb. He couldn't believe what she thought, how did they get past it. How did he find the words to make her understand. Then wondered if killing Sam would do it. Hearing his phone ring, he looked at the called ID and then said "Now isn't a good time."

"Sorry but we need to talk. I saw your car outside a rundown building, can I come up?"

Jason said "Sure why not?"

Entering the studio, Mac saw Jason and asked "Who did you go ten round with?"

"No one." he snapped.

"That no one, sounds remarkedly like Elizabeth." he said then looking around he said "And this place, looks like someplace I recall a bomb being defused in."

"What do you want?" he asked.

"That can wait. I know you have no reason to talk to me, but … I can only imagine what you two are going through right now. Jason, you will get through it, but the nastiness the fighting, it was what I should have done years ago with Felicia, but I decided we weren't worth it. Elizabeth and you are. Deal with the anger, the pain. Because the other side, the other side is that it will be better." he said then walked to the door. Stopping he said "Maxie got a call from Spinelli, he took the deal."

"He called her?" Jason asked looking up. "Why?"

"She asked the very same thing to him. Then he asked her to give Sam a message. I thought you should hear it." Playing the message, he saw Jason's eyes light up with a dark fire and knew he didn't want to be in his way when he went to deal with whoever the code was about.

Jason hurried down the stair, and instead of getting in his truck like Mac expected, the blond went down the docks following the small footprints. Calling Felicia, he told her he would see her at Diane's office so she could sign the papers then went to the station.

Jason meanwhile found Elizabeth down by the docks looking over at Wyndemre. "I love you. Whatever else you believe, please believe that."

Turning to look at him, he saw the frozen tears and pulled her into his arms. "Your Uncle said this was going to be ugly at time and hurt, but I meant what I said last night, in the end, we are family."

"Jason, this has never been what we were about. Fighting and meanness, yet I feel so angry at times. I just want to hurt you, but at the same time I am telling myself stop, you don't mean those things."

"That is because deep down, you do. You have right to those feelings. Just like my anger about some stuff. We need to get this out. To deal. I knew this was going to be a long process and if you want, at night I will sit with you, but I can't sleep in a bed with you, I just can't." he said.

"Because of Nik?" she asked swallowing her shame.

Looking down, he said "Before today, no. I just found that I understand irrational jealousy. I mean for all I know you slept with Lucky at the studio, I know you did with Zander. Yet the idea of you sleeping with Nik there, it hurts."

"I know the feeling. I felt the same way about Sam and you riding your bike up to cliff roads."

"I have never taken Sam up those roads and I only once ever gave her a ride on the bike and it was a matter of necessity. " he said then saw Elizabeth's embarrassment then found himself saying. "I am going to kill O'Brien."

"I loved your bike." she said wistfully.

"Same way I felt about the studio." he said.

"I can get rid of it, if it helps." she said quietly.

"No, I think it might be better to confront things head on. I just, do you want me to get rid of the bike?"

"No." she said not meaning it then saying "I know it is irrational but yes. But please buy a new one."

With a laugh, Jason pulled her into his arms and said "I feel the same about the studio. We still have to discuss the other but right now, we have to deal with a problem involving a geek named Spinelli."

"What kind of problem?" she asked.

"One involving a wedding certificate in my name saying I married Sam last January. It is fake and he set it up." Jason was beyond furious with the kid.

"Well, how do you feel about being a bigamist. I heard Spinelli going on and on about you getting a license to marry Claudia. That is another thing we are going to be talking about." she warned him. "However the thing was blank I was given to understand. I say we make it look like we were married then."

"You do know that is going to make me a bigamist instead of solving the problem?" he asked dryly.

"I think he will back down, I know he is going to back down." she said grimly. The gruesome twosome had gone too far and she had no idea where this had come from but Elizabeth was done reacting to their actions, this time she was going to put an end to the games.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20 A Fool Was Living IN Paradise

_**Chapter 20: A Fool was Living in Paradise**_

Spinelli was signing the mountain of paperwork with an ADA when he heard the new police commissioner talking to Mac Scorpio. "So at least he will no longer be my problem."

"The kid needs help, maybe after the Feds are finished with him, if he survives he can get some mental health help." Mac was certain the kid needed it.

"Speaking of that... there was an incident between a patient at that clinic in Switzerland and Carly Jacks. It apparently got ugly and Mrs. Jacks' voice box was injured in the fight."

With a sad chuckle, Mac said "I only wish someone had figured out a way to shut Carly up years ago. What did they do with her?"

"Transferred her elsewhere." he said. "I heard that Jasper Jacks was on a trip to Rome with his kids when he got the message."

Hearing someone calling out his name, Abbott saw Jagger Cates gesturing for him to come over. "That little SOB tried to make it look like Jason and Sam got married last year in Florida while working on tracking down Zachara for Raynor. I have to go and fix things in Florida, I am taking your sister in law with me, Scorpio."

Both officers turned to watch as Elizabeth Webber and Diane Miller entered the station together. Wondering if she had heard, Mac had no doubts when she demanded to speak to Spinelli. Seeing the geek grinning as he was lead to the interrogation room yet again, Mac moved in closer in case Elizabeth needed support.

"Hello Damian. Nice message you sent to Sam too bad all you did was make Jason into a bigamist." she tossed out as an opening salvo just as they heard Diane demanding to speak to Abbott about the lies that Spinelli had told.

"Why would marrying Fair Samantha make Stone Cold a bigamist? He was willing to marry you for Jake, but in the end, his heart wasn't in to it and couldn't follow through, he couldn't betray his great love with Sam." said the computer geek smugly.

"Spinelli, do you know why it bothered me so much when Jason seemed to be getting back with Sam, because I was angry that after the promises we had made to one another that he would cheat on me with that skank." she said watching his face turn red at the insult. "That Jason would commit adultery with her off all people."

"It wasn't adultery, Jason isn't married." he said. Then quickly added "Except to Sam."

Taking out the paperwork, Elizabeth was very glad that Gail Baldwin was in town with all of her contacts in the legal world, because even if Spinelli were to get access to a computer to check this, it would look very legitimate.

Spinelli watched as she unfolded a very worn square piece of paper. When it was completely open she said "I will hold, you read."

Spinelli read what it said and turned white before beginning to sputter. "Y-you faked that, you hussy you. Y-you somehow got a copy of the license that Stone Cold used to back down the evil Mob Princess and are trying to use it to control my Master."

"No, actually I am not. See Jason and I knew, well, in the end we knew that we would always love each other and this was our way of making a commitment to one another that no matter what we would have in our memory." Elizabeth discovered Lizzie buried deep down as she spun her web of lies.

"That is an outright horrible falsehood, I would know, my computer gives me notices of all public records for him. I have it running on all sorts of people including you so even if it had missed Stone Cold, your name would have popped it up."

"I won't even comment on how illegal that is, but I will say this. Do you really think that with your big mouth, Jason and I would trust you to keep our marriage a secret, we hated that you knew the truth about Jake. We went to Dr. Baldwin, yes she is related to Scotty. I am surprised you haven't met her yet. She is your new doctor. Anyhow, her husband was best friends with my grandfather."

"So. The license still has to be put into a computer. And it wasn't. So Stone Cold probably gave into your nagging and played you. And if you were married why would you get engaged to Lucky?" he said very sure of himself and his skills.

" Because I was mentally ill, I didn't realize what I was doing. We were married, by Father Mateo, then Lee Baldwin had them do a handwritten document, I am sure that the State if New York has a record of our marriage, but locally no. We wanted to keep you away from it." she said standing. "Now, right now Diane Miller is giving Abbott proof of this and then I am sure someone is going to come and talk to you. I would get your story straight."

"They will believe me, after all I made sure that the records were accurate. This Agent Cates will know that I am not lying. You, you are the liar and it is a matter of public record." he spit out.

"Do you know why Jagger agreed to help with this case, did you bother to research him?" she inquired.

"He hates Sonny Corinthos for his brother's death." he said.

With a chuckle she said "Let me guess the wisdom according to Maxie, or Carly or one of the other women who have used you since you came to town. No, actually you are partly right but he hated Sonny long before Stone."

Seeing him roll his eyes she said "Scott Baldwin had a daughter named Karen, Sonny had her stripping and got her addicted to painkillers and a few other drugs then began sleeping with her. She had dumped Jagger because she was ashamed of something she had recalled. Didn't believe he would stand by her. Jagger found her, rescued her before Sonny put her out on the streets as a hooker. Then with the help of one of Karen's ex-boyfriends got her through withdrawal. That boyfriend was Jason Morgan Quartermaine."

She saw the moment that Spinelli realized he had gone to far. "Yes, Jagger wanted to use you to take down the mob, but he doesn't like you. My guess is you are going to end up collateral damage someplace."

Once at the door, Elizabeth turned and said "You Damien Spinelli are a sad pathetic mess and even when we gave you one more chance, you screw it up. By the way, Sam never got the message, Maxie instead told her father. She is over you, my guess is that you were a long pit stop on her way to mourning Georgie. Well Georgie is alive and she doesn't need the crutch anymore."

Mac watched as Spinelli seemed to shrink into himself. Just walking away as the man called out his name, Mac went over to the Commissioner and asked what Diane had wanted. "To file paperwork over the fake marriage why?"

Abbott looked at him and said "No, she was hear to inform me that her weekly poker game had been moved to her house.

Laughing as he realized Elizabeth had played Spinelli, he called Bobbie when Abbott was pulled away to deal with the prank pulled on the councilwoman this morning. "I heard about Carly how is she?"

"She might be better if Jax hadn't been visiting Brenda Barrett when he got the news." she said tired beyond belief.

"What happened?" asked Mac as he tried to work up some sympathy for Carly.

"Carly was being Carly and pissed off a patient, she accused the woman of working for Jason and trying to hurt her. Turns out the woman is a Rothschild and filthy rich. The family wants Carly removed from the clinic so Jax had her transferred to one in Germany."

"Do you think Jason is out to get her?" he asked hoping that the answer was no.

"I only wish, then it would mean he cared one way or the other. But no, I visited Carly the day she was taken, Jason was never there but she kept insisting he was trying to kill her. Unfortunately I think it is a set up, to get to stay here. Jax won't let that happen, he thinks she needs isolation."

"How is Michael doing?" he asked wanting to get off the topic of Carly.

"They don't let him make calls, he can't e-mail anyone, no contact with anyone other than AJ for the first month." she said wishing she had insisted on staying with Carly herself. Jax had subtly suggested that helping Michael would be the better choice but she couldn't help feeling like she had once again abandoned her daughter.

Seeing Ethan and Lulu entering the Brownstone, she told Mac she had to go then asked them "What has you two so angry?"

"Lucky had some money that Carly gave him to help search for Jake, it's gone from the place he kept it hidden. Sam claims to not know where it is and there is no other person who it could have been."

"There is Nik, have you asked him about it?" she asked gently.

The two quickly thanked their aunt and left never seeing her shake her head worried about what was to become of the two of them.

Arriving on Spoon Island, Lulu saw the staff was crating up various items and loading them onto the new cargo boat. "Nik, what is going on? Are you moving these things to town?"

Looking at his sister, Nik said "No, I am moving to the Cassadine Estate in Greece. I have had an offer on Spoon Island."

"Nik, I hate to ask but did you take the money that Lucky got from Carly?" asked Ethan. "We know that there was almost a million dollars left."

"No, I have no idea. What money?" he asked then when they left told Alfred to get Spencer, "We are leaving tonight. Tell the nanny to bring him to the airport at nine. I have to go to the hospital to deal with something before I meet her."

Jason was searching for Tom Hardy and soon found the man talking to Gail Baldwin. "Do you have some time?"

Looking at Jason, he said "Sure, meet me at my mothers, we can talk there."

When Tom arrived, he saw Jason looking out the window watching the snow falling. "What happened?"

With a sad laugh, Jason said "Elizabeth is upstairs asleep. We had one hell of a day. The boys are at the Quartermaines."

"What happened?" he asked sitting down and letting Jason talk.

"She had a confrontation with Spinelli but that isn't what has me worried. The other night, Elizabeth asked me if I would sleep upstairs with her. I said no, but gave her the ring I told you about. I knew we weren't ready and..."

"We weren't or you weren't?" he asked wanting to clarify what happened.

"Neither of us, Elizabeth is still jumpy around me, still expecting me to leave her yet again. I know she had cause to feel that way, but I am hoping or was hoping that I would be able to prove I was staying. Then she called me on something when we talked today. She is right, I still see Nik kissing her, it hurts." Jason hated to feel that way, but he did.

"You do know that she feels the exact same way about Sam, about what happened in the past between the two of you?" Jason got that, he just wished he knew how to get passed it.

"Yes, which is why it makes it even more irrational that I was so hurt that she had slept with Nik at the studio, stupid, isn't it?" he said with a angry laugh.

"No, just human. What about the penthouse, you must have slept with other women there, didn't you?"

"The penthouse is just a place, were I lived. Nothing more. The studio... it's hard to explain." Then he said "Elizabeth seems to get that, she loathes my bike right now. We talked about it, I asked her is she wanted me to sell it, she said no at first then confessed that she did want me to get a different one. That is something easy to fix, a new bike, a new studio. How do we fix the underlying problem of our jealousy."

"How about this, why are you jealous?" he asked. "You were fine with Lucky but not Nik, why?

Sitting back Jason said looking down at the ground and whispering. "She didn't love Lucky, hasn't for years but felt a sense of obligation to him. With Nik... I guess I was worried she was in love with him."

"So it is okay with you for her to be miserable with Lucky but not happy with Nik?" he asked skeptically.

Jason walked over to the sofa and said "Yes, in a way. I was being selfish."

"About damn time." said Tom. "That is a big problem with both of you, you sacrifice yourself for others. I think if you had been the real you, you might not have slept with Sam, but you would have still allowed her to hang around which would have slowly killed Elizabeth. Would we have ended up here, who knows, but I think you need to look deep inside of yourself and figure out why that bothers you."

Jason knew why, but hated to admit it out loud. Looking back at Tom he said "I am a bastard, aren't I?"

"Did you discuss anything else?" Jason took a deep breath and covered the rest of it. "So is she right? Do you feel like you couldn't kill this woman because of your past with her?"

"Yes, no, no." said Jason firmly. "I just,... as to the other stuff, the stuff with Ric. I have wanted to give that bastard a beat down since the first moment I saw him with Elizabeth. Then what happened with Carly and what he did to Elizabeth, who loved him...." Jason watched his hands shake. "I knew Sam lied about being raped, that Ric hadn't seduced her, but I finally had an excuse, one that Sonny would buy so I did it. I got to do what I had longed of for so long."

"Going back to your habit of covering up others and hurting Elizabeth." Tom said, then seeing Jason glare pointed out "Your words not mine. Anyhow, if you knew it hurt her why do it?"

"I honestly don't know. I think some small part of me is still angry for her choosing Lucky in the park all those years ago. I knew it wasn't for love, and I think that is why it still hurts."

"Have you ever asked her about it?"

"She said she was in love with me, that just made it worse that she still chose to rescue him." Tom saw the pain in his eyes and knew that he had finally hit Jason's deep seated hurt.

"I talked to Elizabeth about that and you know what, she said it was only partly out of obligation to Lucky. That you were sending her mixed signals. She didn't know if you wanted her to go along as your girlfriend or just as more than friends. Then you didn't give her time to even think."

Looking back Jason had an epiphany. "I was setting her up to fail. My relationship with Robin had been so screwed up, my god... I ..."

"Yes, you did. Jason the two of you have been at cross purposes combined with the hurts in each of your pasts for so long... Elizabeth likes to blame it on timing. I don't. I blame it on so much more. And something that is very fixable. You are on the right path, these fights, they were helping the two of you realize all the pain and anger and resentment that there is between you. Welcome to an adult relationship. I would have to guess, your first one."

Glaring at the man, Jason said "It just hurts, I hate arguing with Elizabeth. I hate the idea of making her cry."

"So you hold everything in. Your doubts, your fears and your love, using danger as an excuse to push her away. The thing is Elizabeth is an expert at seeing through them. Talk to her, argue with her and then compromise with her. Don't put it all on her, tell her your opinions, Jason."

"The thing is, most of the time, in the past. My opinions with most people didn't count when it came to my life." Elizabeth was often the only person to ask his opinion, but he could never bring himself to say how he truly felt. That no, he didn't want to let Lucky raise Jake, that no, he didn't want her to leave him that morning.

"Then work on that. You already doing that now." said Tom. "Now if I can make a suggestion, go upstairs, and join Elizabeth. Just test yourself." Before leaving Jason brought him up to date on Elizabeth and Diane's plan to deal with Spinelli and admitted that he only wished he could have been there to see his reaction.

Jason called his mother to see how the boys were and was told they were playing with Dillon and Brooklynn. "Are you sure that is wise?"

"They are fine." she said watching as Cam and the future movie director argued the merits of Jimmy Neutron verses Phinnes and Ferb. "Actually I think that Cam might be the more mature one in this quartette."

Standing outside the door, Jason kicked off his boots and tiptoed into into the room as the winter sun shined in on Elizabeth's hair, moving his eyes lower, he saw the dried tears as she curled around her pillow, Jason sat down in the same chair as from the night before. Pulling his phone back out, he made sure to turn it on vibrate then slipped into the bed, being careful not to touch Elizabeth.

As he slowly found himself taking a nap for the first time he could ever recall, Jason wound up curled around the woman he loved. "We are going to fight, but we will get there, I promise you that."

~~*~~

Carly woke up wearing a straight jacket and awkwardly stood going to the small window. Banging on the door, she saw a woman wearing a lab coat come into her room after unlocking the door. Opening her mouth to demand for her to remove it, she found she couldn't speak.

Trying again, she could feel the pain and found herself remembering what had happened.

The doctor saw the woman was struggling to speak and got her attention. "Mrs. Jacks, I am your new doctor, my name is Marie Achmeyer. Your husband had you transferred here after an incident with a patient at your last clinic. You are in Bonn, Germany."

Carly's eyes got wide as she realized she was in the middle of nowhere. Trying to speak again, she was told to relax and that an orderly would be in to remove the jacket in a half hour. "We have much to discuss before then. Your voice box was damaged in the attack. We are going to have to speak by writing or I could get a personal notebook computer and you could type out our sessions, would that work for you?"

Seeing her nod in excitement, the doctor left while Carly plotting on trying to find Spinelli as soon as she got the computer. Trying to recall that stupid nickname that the geek was always spouting, she sat down and when the orderly arrived, he mistakenly thought that maybe they finally had a calm patient who wasn't catatonic.

Handing her a notebook and paper he said "Dr. Achmeyer said she will get you a lap top here as as soon as she can. In the mean time, she would like you to write out your side of the incident in which you got hurt."

Seeing her reach for the paper and write something quickly he said "Yes, he did. He had to return to his hotel to spend time with your children. Their Nanny called him saying your daughter was fussy." the man felt bad for patients like this, they were sick and often lost all contact with their families while in the clinic.

When Jax returned he stopped in to see Carly and refused to give in to her written pleas to let her come home. "No, you need to get well, for your kids."

Carly saw him talking to the doctor then hand her the laptop before the woman looked down at her with a frown and a shake of her head. As they walked closer, she heard her assuring him that Carly would have no access to the Internet.

Sure she could get someone to help her, she was being led to her room when she heard someone saying. "Next time you see your friendly orderly, ask him the Nanny's name. Ask for a description of the woman playing mommy to your kids. One more thing, Morgan sends his regards."

Carly hurried into her room and shut the door herself ignoring the knocking on the door until the orderly peaked his head in to say "We are serving dinner in ten minutes, you have to come."

Seeing her grab her notebook, he sighed expecting a question about that subject only to read the note and look confused. "A brunette, dark tan. Brown eyes, she seemed to get along with the kids very well, you have nothing to worry about."

"Name?" she wrote.

"Uh, I think it was Beth, Ber, no, it was Brenda." Five minutes later, the orderly was walking from the room with the doctor as she was asking what had caused the patient to freak out like that. "I don't know, I just mentioned her kids."

~~*~~

Elizabeth heard the sounds of the boys coming up the stairs and realized she had slept soundly for the afternoon. Seeing an indention on the pillow next to her, she saw the boots next to the chair and gave a soft smile. Jason had stayed with her.

"Mommy, Mommy, guess what?" asked Jake as he rushed into the room before flying onto the bed to hug her. "We's had ice cream and wa-watch Cars and Ferb."

Cam filled in the rest while Jason stood in the doorway watching as Elizabeth and the boys talked their day out. "Daddy, Uncle Dillon said he was Miss Tracy's son. Are you sure?"

Wondering what Tracy had done to get Cam to wonder, he sat down on the foot of the bed absentmindedly playing with Elizabeth's feet while saying "Yes, he is her son."

"Okay, if you are sure." he said. Then hearing his Mommy giggle, he looked at her and saw Jake laughing too. "What's so funny, I want to laugh too."

Trying not to giggle as she answered, she finally restlessly moved her feet away from Jason and said "Stop before I return the favor."

"What?" he asked then saw his hands reaching for her feet again, then with a wicked grin said "Cam did you know your Mommy is ticklish? Want to try?"

Before she knew what happened, Jason had her feet and both Jake and Cam were trying to make her laugh, that was the scene when her father entered the room and stood in the doorway watching. Realizing they had an audience, Jason put a stop to the torture Mommy session and said "We have company."

"Oh, don't let me interrupt." he said with a smile. "But you are missing the best place. She has very ticklish ears."

"I know." said Jason his mind on the day he had nuzzled her neck then kissed his way up it only to start her laughing when he reached behind her ears.

Not sure he liked the loaded way his grandson's father answered the question, Jeff said "Elizabeth, there is a young woman downstairs wanting to talk to you. Her name is Robin and she said you promised to fill her in then that you stood her up."

Looking at her clock, she groaned and then looked at Jason. "I overslept. Robin is going to boil me in oil."

"No, I won't. Sorry, I heard the noise and had to follow it." she said entering the crowded room. When Jake and Cam had hugged her then called out that they were going to play, Elizabeth said "We can do it here if you don't mind."

"I will be in with the boys." said Jason quietly before surprising Elizabeth by kissing her on the lips. "I sort of promised Dillon and them pizza for dinner."

"Wait, Dillon is coming?" she asked.

"He is bringing over a present for the boys, that is all I know. Next thing I knew I was agreeing to pizza for dinner."

"Ice cream for lunch, pizza for dinner. Those boys, I am going to have to start paying better attention to what they are eating." she said sitting up. "No wonder Cam is outgrowing his clothes. Speaking of clothes, what happened with the green velvet dress with the crinoline and ruffles?"

Robin sat down, and the two women got up to date on each others lives. The young doctor, reached out to hug her friend for forgiving her. "I am so sorry, I can't believe I let myself forget who Sam was."

Jeff followed Jason in to the boys room and they played with his grandsons for about a half hour, then quietly talked while the boys were playing on their own. The doctor had been watching the younger man with his daughter and knew he was partly at fault for their problems. "I told Elizabeth I am sorry for the mess I created by being how I was in her childhood, I owe you an apology as well."

Looking at him, Jason said "No you don't. I knew how fragile Elizabeth is in the trust department, I screwed up long ago by not being clear with her, not telling her that yes, I wanted a future with her, but that is because I myself have a few of the same issues."

"I do have to ask if you loved my daughter, why these other women, why do that?"

Seeing Cam and Jake were not listening Jason said "Loving Elizabeth terrifies me at the same time that it gives me this incredible sense of pleasure at the idea of us as a family. The problem is that I have always looked at her as breakable. When she isn't, at least not in regards to the things I was worried about."

"That doesn't answer the question." he said quietly. He had already asked his daughter the exact same question in regards to Ric, Zander and Lucky. Nik he left alone since he was well aware she wasn't in her right mind then.

"Courtney was a rebound, I pushed Elizabeth away, actually at first it was unintentionally but then I decided she should have so much more than I could give her. So I settled for a woman that I knew was stuck in my world. She did play me, but I allowed myself to be played because I didn't want to be alone. Then Sam, well, she was pregnant with Sonny's kid."

"So you decided to be a daddy yet walked away from your own?" he asked doubtfully.

"Sam was threatening to abort the baby. I gave her money and a place to live. I saw what I thought was a woman bonding with her child then losing her. I think she saw that baby as a chance to live a different life, then losing it... bonded us, mainly because I knew loss. I have lost Michael, then Elizabeth. I would see her around with Cam, she was so happy, so excited to be a mom in spite of all of her financial troubles, I remember my sister's wedding... she caught the bouquet and I caught the garter."

Seeing him smile at the memory, Jeff just kept quiet certain there was more to the story. "But we didn't dance. I would have but Sam was out of it, I saw that Lucky wasn't happy and I didn't want to do anything that might harm her happiness." he said sadly. "So I took Sam home, she was drunk and said I love you. I just accepted that I had someone to take care of. I think looking back, I wanted her to replace Elizabeth for me. She was small, had dark hair. But she was never right." he said softly. "I was such a coward, but I did care for who I wanted her to be. She tried, I tried but in the end the implosion was bound to happen because we were both playing a role."

"I do get what you mean by a role. I know about your injury and don't know how much of your mother's past you know, but I was married to Monica when we first came here." Seeing his surprise, Jeff said "Yes, we were married, it was a mess. I had my own ideas of marriage and that since I was finished with med school it was time to get married. Monica had lost her boyfriend, he was thought dead. She was pressured by her family to marry so we did. We didn't want each other, we wanted the idea of each other. Then Rick came back, we weren't happy to begin with then finding out my wife was in love with my brother around the same time as finding out I was not my father Lars son."

Looking at Jake, Jason couldn't help regretting the time he had let Lucky Spencer play dad. "No different situation. Well, anyhow, we should have ended but we didn't. About a year later we did and she met your dad." said Jeff. "I fell in love with a nurse here at GH. But we had issues and I slept with Heather Grant, Steven's mom."

"That story I know from when I investigated Heather, she sold Steven didn't she?" he asked only for Jeff to nod.

"I found my son and tried with the woman raising him, but Diana, well we were wrong for one another and then Heather's mother killed her. I felt guilty for years and made some screwed up decisions. But one of those gave me Elizabeth. I will never regret that. Yet, I still can't help wondering what if..."

"What do you mean?" Jason knew that if Sam's baby had lived he wouldn't have regretted being in it's life but he also knew that Sonny would have stepped up as her father. That he had been willing to have that half life, to accept what little he had been planning on with Sam, made him want to figure it all out.

"Heather teamed up with another nurse, Bobbie Spencer and they tag teamed Annie until we were too far apart, I actually took Heather back for a while." he said. "Then I found out that Annie had a miscarriage, the baby was mine and Heather was responsible. Strangely enough, it was Bobbie who told me. She had married a doctor named Tony Jones and felt guilty for her past."

"Have you ever wished her dead?" asked Jason.

"Oh course, that is human nature but I get the feeling you are not talking in the hypothetical." he said cautiously.

"I have threatened Sam. I do find myself wishing her dead, but in the end, I was the one who should have done a better job of protecting my family. I knew she was capable of things, but I let her wander around free. She did so many things yet at the same time, when I saw her coming out of that building with Jake, I told her I forgave her for the past."

"You what?" asked Jeff in shock.

"For about five days." said Jason. "I was so grateful to be able to return my son to his mother, to know that he was safe. Then I started to wonder, she is a screwup, yet this time, she was successful in doing something?"

"You thought she was involved." he said.

"Yes, I still know she was some way, I just can't prove it." he said frustrated. "Elizabeth is angry that I didn't kill her, accused me of not doing it because of my past with her. I have been thinking on it and that is partly true. Just not for the reason Elizabeth believes. It isn't because of how I felt for Sam, it was because of how I felt for her baby. Sam is obsessed with having a child and it was my fault she can't yet I do, I have two sons."

"Jason, did this woman know what you life was about when you got involved? From what I heard she did, she actively participated in it. Something I am sure you discouraged. What ever happened to her, I would guess she was partly responsible."

"I know, but at the same time, I feel guilt and she plays me on it." he said. Hearing footsteps walking away, he got up and said "Excuse me."

Walking down the hall, he saw Elizabeth in her room. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough." she said quietly. "Jason, Johnny O'Brien and I once had a discussion, this was after the whole Ric thing. He told me that Sonny ordered you to kidnap me, you refused at first but then agreed maybe."

Wincing he said "I said that to get him to back off and not send someone else to do it."

"But if push came to shove, to protect Carly, we both know that back then you would have done it." she said. "I know that you would have kept me safe, but you would have grabbed me."

Stunned, Jason said "No I wouldn't have."

With a sad smile, Elizabeth said "And that is why I am not angry that you didn't kill Sam, because you loved her once and you couldn't do it in spite of everything."

Looking at her, he sat down in the armchair and then pulled her down to the end of the bed. "No, see that is the part that is scary. I could. The only reason I didn't was I couldn't find the proof, if I had, she was gone."

"Jason, you misunderstood what I was saying that day. I get that you find it hard to hurt those you once loved, I mean, I find that a good thing. I just... until Italy, I have never felt like the boys and I were your priority. And what happens after we work through this... Carly is gone, Sonny is gone... what happens when you wake up and blame me for costing you the people you consider to be your family."

Kissing Jason, she said "I was talking to Robin and I realized something... I want to have fights with you, and make up afterwords."

"Are you sure?" he asked not certain where this sudden jump from Carly and Sonny to wanting a chance for them was going.

"Yes, because I also realized that Carly and Sonny are gone. That Lucky is gone, that all that is keeping us apart is us." she said. "We are both still scared. And that is a good thing, at least right now."

"Why right now?" he asked.

"Because in the end as we keep clearing the air, it will be us. You, me and the boys." she said. "I was always afraid to live life, to be happy. I know we are going to have issues, but Jason... I think we can work through them." she said.

Pulling her over into his lap, Jason used his right hand to pull back the curls that were loose and looked her in the eyes and said "I agree. I do have to ask... will you be able to let go of the past. I am going to, we both made mistakes, can we move on from them?" he said tugging her head down to softly press a kiss on the corner of her lips. "We get a new bike, a new studio. A new home, one we live in as a family."

"Yes." she said pressing a kiss on his cheek. "We talk to one another, we don't hide from our problems and no more using danger as an excuse to run away from one another."

"I agree." he said kissing the opposite corner. "I do want to ask one more thing, would you mind terrible giving me a little girl?"

Shocked Elizabeth pulled back but Jason just pulled her right back so they could feel each other breath. "Not this very minute, but soon."

"I like that idea." she said. "What if it is a boy?"

"We keep trying." he said with a wicked smile. "I just want a little girl who looks like her mommy."

"That could take even longer." she said with a small laugh.

"True, we also might need a bigger house than the one we looked at." he said.

"Or we could just expand it if it becomes necessary." she said then leaned in to press a kiss to Jason's left cheek. "I just have one question for you."

"Anything." he asked as he eased his remaining arm around her waist to pull her in even closer.

Trying to ignore the magnetic pull, Elizabeth asked "How are you going to like being a house father to all of those children?"

Raising his eye brows he said "Well, since I intend to keep you tied to me with babies, I figure we will both be home taking care of them."

"I worked hard for my nursing degree, I am still going to want to work." she said. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yes, are you okay with me..." he asked leaving it open.

"Will I be scared, you bet your rear, but I trust you to keep us safe from harm." she said. "We do need to talk about one more thing."

"What? He asked more interested in kissing her, it had been so long since they had been like this in a romantic way.

"Do you realize that we are going to have to wait until we get our own place to do what we want to be doing right now?" she said groaning as she buried her head into his neck.

Pulling back back with his hands on her waist, he said "We can be really, really quiet after they fall asleep."

"My grams bedroom is right next to this one, Jason." she reminded him.

Thinking on it, Jason said "I swear we will find someplace."

"Look hard." she said then knowing it had to be addressed, she asked "Jason, what changed. I thought you wanted to wait."

"Honestly, jealousy. I want to wipe all thoughts of any one else out of your head." he said blushing.

She looked down at first feeling pain for the past, but then saw his hand reaching for her chin and looked up. "Don't, we agreed. That is the past. It happened it is over. We move on together. Now, we had better go relieve your father."

Standing while still holding Elizabeth, he dropped her on her bed then said "What should I order on the pizza for the boys?"

"Just make sure to get one with only extra cheese for Jake." she replied as she tried to stand on her lust weakened legs.

~~*~~

Georgie was listening to Maxie as she told her every single thing she had missed in the past few years. "Maxie, we have lots of time, you don't have to get me up to date in one night."

"But, there is so much more." she said as they entered Kelly's to see Johnny Zachara. When he joined them, he had to help Georgie stop Maxie from once again filling her in on everything. "Maxie, take a breath, will you."

Looking at him, she said "I just want her to know what is going on."

"Good, but she asked you to give it a rest. Why don't you ask her what she is going to do, or discuss what your dad is up to or even freaking talk to her about why you are so neurotic." he snapped.

Getting up to go, he said "Georgie my garage is down by Jake's if you change you mind about that job." he said teasing her just as he got to the door.

"Uh, thanks, I think I will stick to working for Diane, thanks." she said.

Moving back to the table, he said "When did this happen?"

"This afternoon. It is only temporary, my dad asked me to come work for him once he gets the club opened back up."

"What club?" he asked.

"Dad used to own a nightclub called the Outback and ran his detective agency from an office above. He invited me to come work for him once it is set up."

"Doing what?" he asked a bit worried for her.

"Helping him. I will be doing research, manning the phones, that sort of thing." she said. "Plus, I can help in the club a bit."

"Well,, if you change you mind and decide that you want to get dirty, come see me." he said as he walked out the door.

"Okay, what was that about and why didn't dad tell me about any of this?" asked Maxie petulantly.

Georgie said to her "When were you home today?"

"I kinda wasn't." she said. "But I talked to him on the phone."

Georgie couldn't help it, she hugged her sister and said "I sure missed you."

More seriously, Maxie said "I missed you, too. You have no idea how much."

~~*~~

Spinelli was sitting in his cell, thinking on all that he had heard that day. Hearing footsteps, he jumped up startled, then saw Jason. "What, you come to tell me how you don't like me anymore?"

"I never liked you, that was Morgan. I pitied you a bit." said Johnny. He had signed himself out of GH, needing to do this, but intending to head back that night. "I just wanted to let you know, since I do feel bad for you about your feelings for Sam. She is being sent a rehab center where they are going to warehouse her for the rest of her life."

"Jason should be taking care of her, he owes her." he said bitterly.

"No, actually he doesn't. I just wanted to say goodbye." with that Johnny left the jail, glad he had an alibi since the real Jason was home with his family. Right now, Nik Cassadine was leaning that one didn't mess with anyone Jason cared about.

Stopping to talk to Diane and Alexis he asked why they were there? "We had dinner together. Congratulate us, we just went into partnership."

"Does Jason know?" he asked thinking about the ramifications of Alexis working with Diane.

"Yes, I talked to him earlier, he is fine with it. We have to go and track down Mac Scorpio, we have an offer for him." said Alexis as they all walked out just as Nik staggered up to the station. "Nik, what happened to you?"

"I was beat up, someone attacked me." then looking at Jason he sneered. "More than likely someone who works for you."

"This is Johnny." said Alexis, "Not Jason."

"Or more likely those men you made that deal with." he said to the Greek. "Don't you know better than to make a deal with loan sharks with bad goods. We heard the rumors, I just didn't give a crap enough to warn you."

"What is going on here?" asked Alexis as she helped Nik sit down in the hub since Johnny still looked like he should be in the hospital.

"Ask your nephew. When he first started having money problems, he made a deal using something as collateral, something that turned out to be counterfeit." Johnny looked at the man and said "You should have just paid your bills."

"Stay out of my business.' he snapped.

"You are my business, and I am sure that the reason for the beat-down was the jet on the tarmac. You were planning on fleeing without paying what you owe." he said. Turning to Alexis, he said "He owes about five million and got ten million from the sale of the Island. Then ran."

"Nik, what were you thinking?" she asked when the medics arrived. Nik let them clean him up then rejected all efforts to keep him there.

Arriving at the airport, he saw the long Lincoln town car next to his jet. Getting out, he saw two men with no necks waiting for him. Going to the trunk of the car that had Spencer in it, he took out the duffel bag and threw it at them.

"Nice doing business with you, your highness." chuckled the one as Nik patently ignore them as he climbed up to the door of the plane. Once seated, he took Spencer's suitcase full of toys and dumped it. Underneath was all that was left of the once great family fortune.

Ten million dollars in diamonds and the rest of the money that Lucky had hidden. Landing in Greece he regretfully watched the jet as it took off for the last time then went to catch the boat to the old family estate. "Alfred, we are going home."

"Yes sir, we are." he said as he watched Nik carry Spencer aboard the boat.

Jason answered his phone then said "Cancel the check."

"I already took care of that. What do we do with the island?"

"Have the house torn down then tell our people to plant trees, lots and lots of trees."

"What about the real diamonds?" asked Johnny.

"Return them to the vault." he said before heading upstairs to suffer for the night. Looking at Elizabeth coming out of the bathroom wearing a pair of low riding pajama bottoms and a thin t-shirt, he leaned against the door and said "I had no luck, except to get a room at the Metrocourt."

Looking down, she said "It will only take a minute to change."

"For tomorrow night. They are all booked up for a wedding that is taking place tonight." he said his head hitting the door. "So how about tomorrow night, we get dressed, go out to dinner and celebrate."

Hiding her smile, she said "How about a small change. We don't get dressed, we go to Nowhere in your truck and then after a long talk and maybe a few kisses we go to the Metrocourt and slip up the stairs to whatever room you got for us."

Moving into the room, he held up the bag that was behind his back and said "Sweats and a t-shirt."

"Hurry up." she said with a smile. Soon, they were curled up in bed, only to hear a knock on the door as the wind swirled around outside. "Mommy, can we come in too?" asked Cam.

Jason went to the door and opened it, "Lets just have a sleepover."

Giggling, the two boys climbed into the bed with them, as the couple smiled at one other. They both knew that with the boys in there they wouldn't get much sleep but they were both well aware that they wouldn't have gotten much without them there anyhow.

~~*~~

Jagger went into the cell blocks, the officers had Spinelli on a suicide watch and it was his turn to check on the geek. Going over to the cell, he saw the note that was crumpled up in his grasp and called out to the watch commander to let him in. Entering he saw the kid didn't move and reached down to take his pulse.

Not finding one, he arranged for the medical examiner to come and pick up the body. Reading the note, Jagger just shook his head in disgust, sure that Mac would never want Maxie to hear this note.

"It looks like he didn't finish his last one." said the examiner using a pair of tweezers to take out the last pill. "Where would he get these?"

Looking at the visitor list, Jagger saw that between Johnny O'Brien's visit and his checking on the kid was a name he didn't like seeing. "Commissioner, why would Agent Raynor have been here visiting my prisoner?"

"He wasn't." said the man behind the counter. Then looking at the time stamp went back to the video, then with wide eyes showed his boss. "Uh, sir I think you should see this."

Jagger groaned then said "How the hell did Jerry Jacks get out of custody and then walk into the police station as plain as day?"

TBC


	21. Chapter 21 Babysteps to a New Life

Exorcising the Ghosts

Chapter 21

Jason thanked Jagger for the news then left the police station. His morning had started out great, waking up with his family curled up in bed with him, now he had to deal with his anger. He had wanted Spinelli punished for what he had done to Elizabeth, not given the easy way out.

Seeing two officers rushing into the station, Jason turned and looked then saw Jagger coming out in a hurry. "Hey, you need to come back."

"Am I under arrest for something, if not I want to spend the rest of the day with my family." he stated.

"No, but we just found Jerry Jacks." he said grimly. "Or more to the point, our coroner went to put a body in the freezer and found him. He's dead. Someone quite kindly gave us a tape of his death and delivered his corpse."

Looking longingly at his car, Jason followed him back inside where Abbott was dealing with a ranting DA and Special Agent in Charge Raynor. "Morgan, were you aware that Maxiumus Giambetti's second in command was in town?"

"No, I wasn't." he said then asked "Am I a suspect in something?"

"No, we have the killer on tape, Jerry was responsible for Spinelli getting the pills." said the new commissioner.

"Rather convenient wouldn't you say, Mr. Morgan?" sneered the DA, Jason ignored her as he left, feeling like the sun was finally rising on the glum his life had been for the last several years. Arriving at the park, he saw his family on the playground with the guards watching the perimeter and went over to join them.

As they were leaving he made the call to Johnny then went to help load the boys into the SUV.

Johnny used the disposable cell phone to call his sister's uncle who called Sicily. "Thanks on behalf of the Americans."

The large Italian watched as his son and his new bride discussed their future home. Then said "Mr. Craig was a blight on all of us, his punishment was meted out justly. My loose ends were wrapped up and I would like to extend the same courtesy to our American contact."

Johnny took the return call then went to docks, needing to clear his head. His sister was dead, his father gone, his mother long gone. There was nothing but a pending friendship and a business that was doing fine but not spectacular to keep him here.

"Mr. Zachara, a moment of your time please?" asked Mac as he approached the younger man.

"Is Georgie okay?" he asked thinking on the brunette.

"Yes, fine. Actually I want to talk to you about a business arrangement." he said to the surprise of the younger man. "I am reopening my club and agency. I have to admit it is going to be some work to get my club back up and running and that is going to be my first priority, but I would like you to come to work for me."

"I am confused, why? And doing what?" he asked the older man, trying to read his face.

"The one thing that McCall and Spinelli should have had going for them with their agency was the people knew they weren't cops. I need that edge I lost by going to work for the police department." he said "I checked, you have had no convictions, your degree was in business, my guess a sop to your father?" he asked with an inquiring tone. Johnny just nodded in agreement.

"If you are interested, I would like you to come to work for me. I know you have brains, your ability to handle yourself in difficult situations is known and frankly while I am good at the legal ways of getting information, I am sure you have way more contacts on the other side of the law."

Johnny thought about it, then about his fledgling plan to travel and said "Can I think on it until you are up and ready. I am not sure exactly what my future is going to entail."

"Sure." he said then added "If you have an questions, call me."

Mac walked away, wondering if he was doing the right thing, but he knew that the young mobster was cusp of being lost to himself. He didn't know what was up with this need to protect him, but as he had spent time with him, he couldn't help worrying about him.

Jax talked to his crying mother and said "We will meet you in Port Charles tomorrow morning."

Hanging up, he thanked Brenda for her help with the kids then said "Jerry is gone. Lady Jane is a wreck. I have to return, will you come with us?"

Standing, she kissed her old friend's check and said "No, like I told you before, there is nothing left there for me. Now that your nanny has returned, I am heading back to Italy."

Hugging her, he said "Thank you for a being a beacon of sanity in the middle of this."

"You are welcome, now go home, find yourself and raise your kids, okay?" she asked before leaving. Stopping at the hospital, Brenda went to see Carly after bribing a guard. "Hello Carly."

Sitting there, strung out, Carly looked at her and then typed "You won't get away with stealing my family away from me. Jason kept you away before, he will do it again."

"Jason? Really?" she asked with a soft chuckle. "Well, I am sure that he will protect your family. Josselyn, Morgan, and Michael, but you, my guess is not so much. And you are well aware of it. I know Carly, I know about his threat to you. Johnny O'Brien told me when I called the hospital. Jax told me what was going on and he was always one of my favorites."

"Brenda, you are nothing more than a has been model, past your prime and trying to hold on to men who don't want you anymore." she typed misspelling has been in her hurry.

"Carly, Carly, Carly... actually I am married. My husband let me help Jax because he understands, he has had contact with an ex of his and he still helps her out. We just understand how to separate the past from the current, unlike you. I would never end up back in bed with someone, wait, it wasn't a bed was it, it was a limo and say it doesn't matter because we had slept together in the past."

"You are still jealous of our past, but I am living happily with the man I meet when I left Port Charles and got help. We have been married quietly for years and I am having a child. You, on the other hand, Sonny and you ended, he slept with a low rent version of me who he pawned off on Jason. Then there was your childhood best friend, his attorney. His childhood sweetheart then the woman who hurt your son. Yup, Sonny was quite a catch."

"He still loved me to the end." Carly wrote trying to convince herself as much as Brenda.

"Carly, get some treatment, face a few things. Sonny loved one person, himself. Even his love for his kids was a reflection of this. He saw them as extending his legacy to the future, not as kids to be loved."

Walking to the door, she turned and said "Jax, by the way, is going to be just fine. Same with your children. I am going to give him some time, then I am going to help him find true love. Someone who will love him for him, someone who will be a good mother to those children."

Elizabeth let Jason blindfold her while the boys giggled in the back. "You know, they are going to tell me what it looks like."

Looking at Jason, Cam assured him "We will keep the secret from Mommy." Jake just kept saying yup to her amusement. Jason eased back onto the road, driving slowly as he looked for the address. Diane had sent him a photo of the house along with it's specs and he was almost positive it would be the perfect house for them. First however, he knew would have to soften her up.

Showing her the first house, Jason saw the boys liked it's size and hoped that boded well for the house he was hoping she would chose. After they both agreed this wasn't the one, he replaced the blind fold and drove to the next house. When they pulled up, Elizabeth removed the blind fold herself then after looking at it, realized Jason and she needed to talk.

Seeing the boys were occupied confirmed her opinion that they were aware these weren't the house Jason had shown them. Reaching out to stop him from getting out, she said "Jason, just show me the real house, please?"

Looking into her eyes, he said "You are going to have issues, I just..."

"Show me." she said gently. Driving to the stone and wood Tudor, Jason held his breath as they pulled up to the gate then down the small drive. Stopping a bit from the house when he heard her gasp, he looked over to see she was in shock.

Worried, he felt her reach for his hand then listened as she said "Jason, the outside is beautiful."

Pulling around to the garage, he parked between the one attached to the house and the one he wanted to use as a guard station then helped her out. The boys in spite of the cold, rushed over to the swing set while Jason guided Elizabeth to the covered terrace with the wooden trellis on the side.

Calling to the boys, they were soon inside, looking around at the wood interior. As Elizabeth explored the open floor plan she found herself growing enchanted. Finding the four upstairs bedrooms and the well lit room down at one end, she said "A studio."

"Yes." he said kissing her quickly before they went to chase after the boys who were exploring the empty playroom and Elizabeth had to laugh when Cam said "Mommy, Daddy said I had to ask you if I could have this bedroom?"

"We will talk more about it later." she said not wanting to make a promise if they didn't get the house. Seeing the full basement with workout room, more storage and finally a den large enough for a pool table, they were to look at the second garage.

Elizabeth looked around then said "Jason, I love this place. What else is out there?"

"The lake is down about a quarter of a mile, we have a small boathouse and a larger barn off that way." he said pointing. "There is a small gatehouse as well."

"Can it be secured?" she asked quietly then saw his grin and said "Why do I think you checked that out before even showing me this place?"

"I did. The minute I saw it, I knew Diane was right. This is us, this is our home." he said simply. "The upstairs can be expanded, there is space to build at least three more bedrooms."

"Jason, what do we need eight bedrooms for?" she asked laughing then saw his slightly hidden grin. "I do hope you know I was kidding, we are not going to be having that many kids. I draw a limit at four, well maybe five."

Then looking out the window, she said "Six, but that is definitely the limit."

Encircling her waist, he said with a soft chuckle, "Are you sure now?"

Turning in his arms, she said "Yes." then after they kissed said "Well... yes."

"I think I could convince you." he said then leaned down to kiss her again only for Jake to rush in and say "Mommy, I am hungry."

Ethan quickly exited the area around the Haunted Star, the dry dock where it was being dismantled had no security but he still didn't want to get caught. He had overheard the foreman telling a worker to notify the the Mounties they had found something.

He hadn't known what was in the briefcase, but had hoped to find a way inside of it, now all hope was lost. Arriving back at the Brownstone in the states, he packed up his remaining clothes, then went to find his sister. "Lulu, I can't stay here, any longer. I am heading out of town. Do you want to come with me?"

Thinking on it, she said "I have to get my stuff from the apartment first. Where are we going?"

"Not real sure, but grab a traveling trunk, we can send your clothes to your mother in Paris before splitting." he suggested.

Lulu went to the quiet apartment knowing Maxie was at the magazine and soon had her stuff packed. Lifting the order that Maxie had gotten from some judge ordering Lulu to pay her half of the rent until the lease was up and grabbing a tube of lipstick wrote go to hell on it before walking out the door for the last time.

Arriving to her grams house, Elizabeth entered in time to hear her grandmother arguing with someone on the other end. "Grams, is everything okay?"

Turning, she felt sick but knew she had to tell her. "I am on the phone with the Colorado State Police, they stopped the cemetery from removing your grave."

Sitting down, Elizabeth felt slightly dizzy before saying. "Why would you take me there?"

Hanging up, Audrey said "I was going to take the boys there, raise them away from here."

Hugging her grams, Elizabeth was glad that Jason had taken the boys with him to see Diane, she felt unsure of herself right then but knew she had to discuss this with her grams. "May I see it?"

"Elizabeth, why put yourself through this?" she asked gently wishing Tom was here to help.

"I need to see a picture, if you have one." she said insistently. Audrey reluctantly reached into the file she had faxed to Boulder and showed it to her.

Elizabeth read out loud. "Beloved granddaughter, sister and mother. Elizabeth Imogene Webber."

Looking at the slab of granite, Elizabeth wiped her tears then said "It's beautiful, anyhow."

"I had ordered it before we got word you were alive. They called and left a message this morning that it had been placed, I just wanted to get rid of it before you found out."

Touching the letters of her name, Elizabeth found strength in knowing she was alive and hopefully wouldn't need one of these for many years. Hugging her grandmother tightly, she said "I love you. Thank you for caring... loving me and my boys."

Wiping her own tears, Audrey said "I have always had so much guilt when it comes to you. You remind me of your grandfather so much. I tried to hold on to you, tried to push you into what I thought was safe because of that. Seeing that site, the day we put in the temporary marker woke me up to so much."

The two sat there, quietly holding hands when the phone rang to disturb them. Answering, Audrey thanked the man on the other end then hung up. "They are going to remove it."

"Thank you Grams. I do have some good news. We found a possible house." she said then proceeded to tell her all about the Tudor home they had seen.

Audrey listened already missing the noise and feeling of contentment she got when they were living there but knowing that this was going to help Jason and Elizabeth take that final step to being a family.

Georgie was working her first day for Diane when she saw Alexis entering the office. "Miss Miller is waiting for you in the research room."

"Thanks, Georgie. It is good to see you are back." she said smiling at the younger girl before heading to Diane. Entering she asked "What is all of that?"

Looking at the law books, she said "You can find anything you are looking for on Weslaw."

"I prefer to double check certain things in the actual books." she said then settling back into the leather chair said "I heard you were thinking of going to work for ELQ. Why not come to work with me. We would make great partners."

"You have one client and I won't work for the mob again." she said simply.

"You wouldn't be. Jason has mainly legitimate businesses. I would say over ninety percent which is more than most corporations can say." she pointed out. "Elizabeth and he have no problems with it nor does AJ my other client."

Alexis sat down then said "I just don't know. I mean, after all that has gone on recently I am still a Cassadine."

"True, but you are always a very good attorney." said Jason then told Diane. "I left Cam and Jake with Georgie."

"No guards?" she asked a bit surprised.

"They are out there, but their job is to protect not babysit." he said firmly. "I know the same applies for your staff but this will be quick. When will the final papers come through on the house/"

"They already did. You own it free and clear." she said reaching for the file on her desk. "I gather it was a success."

"Yes, I have a building down on the docks, I need a permit to tear it down."

"I will lump it in with the one for Wyndemere."

"Alexis, I hope you consider Diane's offer." Jason said before thanking the red head and going to round up his sons. Georgie waved off his thanks then went back to work just as her phone rang.

Johnny O'Brien made the call then went to pack up what he had that was his. Hearing a knock on his door, he saw the small blond outside. "Maxie, what are you doing here?"

"I heard Robin saying you were heading out. I guess I just well... you have been a friend the last couple of months." she said "I don't have a lot of those that I can afford to lose one."

Pulling her inside, he sat her down and said "Don't sell yourself short. I will be back but I have a few things to take care of, among them getting rid of this face."

Looking into Jason/Johnny's face she said "Now that Jason is back, I can see subtle differences and your eyes are changing again. They are still blue but trimmed with green."

"I want to be me again. I did this because I owed Jason, my life, my very freedom." he said quietly. "I almost cost him his family and that is something it is going to take time for me to deal with."

"No, he did that. I mean he tossed you out there with no backup." she said.

"Jason, had no choice and then I screwed up. There are things in the past, a couple of stupid mistakes I made, that if I hadn't... none of this would have happened. Jason would have probably found happiness with Elizabeth a long time ago." he said quietly. "Do you remember when Luiz Alcazar kidnapped you?"

Seeing her nod, he said "I could have put a stop to him long before that, but I stepped back early on when Sonny was faking his death. I-part of me was hoping he would kill him."

"Wow." she said a bit stunned. "Why?"

"Sonny was lying to Jason, using him. Same with Carly. Jason had save my life repeatedly and I was so pissed at him for becoming this zombie who seemed to do nothing but obey their orders. Also I was a little in love with Elizabeth back then."

"Does every single man in this town have a thing for her?" she asked not really sure she was kidding.

"She has this way about her, a warmth, we are drawn to it. I was, I saw the way the blond twins were treating Jason and should have been there for my friend instead of being a coward and hoping someone else would do my dirty work, that was Sonny's way, not mine."

"Will you come back?" she asked.

"I don't know. I am going to be getting surgery for a couple of months, after that, I will make my decision." he said.

Standing, Maxie walked to the door then closed her eyes and said "Would you come here for a minute."

Moving closer, curious as to what she was doing, he stood there then reacted slightly shocked when she kissed him on the lips. It was only a gently press of warm lips together but he felt something he knew he had no business feeling. "Maxie..."

Opening her eyes, she said slightly sad. "I couldn't do that seeing Jason's face. I just don't find him all that if you know what I mean. Good lucky, Johnny O'Brien, I hope you find what you are looking for."

When she had left, Johnny sat down and looked into the mirror over his dresser and said "What the hell are you going to do now."

On her lunch break, Georgie walked into the hotel and said "I am meeting Mrs. Jacks."

"She is waiting for you, Miss Jones." Marty told the younger girl before directing her to the penthouse suite.

When Georgie was let in, Jane looked at the young girl that her son had held hostage and felt shame. She had known Mac Scorpio for years and to know what Jerry had stolen, made her angry with her wild child. "Thank you for meeting me."

"I hope you don't mind me asking but why did you want to meet me?" she said settling into the chair across from her.

"My son, I heard what he did, what the man he hired almost did." she said sadly. "I just... I saw Alan Quartermaine earlier, told him the same thing. He told me about Emily, his daughter. I had to face you, I had to see for myself what kind of monster my son had become."

Georgie felt guilty for some reason, but she didn't know what to say to her. Jane said "My younger son, Jax and I have tried to help Jerry for years, tried to make up for his mistakes. I went to the station, I was worried about his poor girlfriend. They traced the number."

"Jerry had a girl friend?" she asked "What kind of wo-"

"I know, what kind of woman got involved with a man like him. Turns out it was this Sam McCall woman. He wasn't involved with her in a romantic nature. It was about her controlling Jason Morgan for some reason." she said sadly. "I heard about what she has been doing as well. I just had to atone for my son, to say I am sorry that my burying my head in the sand cost you so much."

Reaching out, Georgie said "What your son did, he did, not you. We all want to see the best in those we love. That is human nature. I have to head back to work, but Mrs Jacks... forgive yourself."

Getting in her car, Georgie called Diane and explained before driving off to find a certain garage. She needed an ear, a clear head and he was the best person to help her achieve that.

Jason and the boys arrived home at the same time as Jeff Webber did. "I know you want to talk to Elizabeth, but we have to run out for a while."

Elizabeth agreed that Jeff could spend the time with the boys while Jason and she ran their errand then asked him what was going on. "Johnny is leaving town and wanted to say goodbye."

Meeting the doppelganger at the airport, Elizabeth looked at the man who had almost lost his life and gave him a quick hug wishing him well.

"I uh, I know this is a little late, but I am so sorry, Elizabeth." he said holding her hands. "I know that I screwed things up, leading to what happened. I only hope Jason and you..."

"We will, we are." she said looking over at the man she loved. Then looking back at Johnny said "I should have known something was wrong. I was floundering and then there was this feeling of revulsion towards Jason. I should have known... I mean, even at my angriest I have never reacted like that to him."

"You thought I was sleeping with the woman who hurt our son." Jason reminded her. "Johnny, I do want to say thank you for giving me the time to do what I had to do."

"You are welcome, even if you really shouldn't be thanking me." he said before heading to the tarmac and the private jet waiting.

Elizabeth kissed the man she loved and said "Let's go home and spend the night with our boys."

"First, I wanted to tell you, Diane filed the papers, the house is ours." he said. "So what is next?"

"Furniture since no one knows where mine is. Johnny said he took the mini van to a storage facility, that has all the boys and my important stuff in it."

"Together?" he asked not positive.

"Yes, together." she said looking into his eyes and seeing his worry. "Jason, what about that room at the Metrocourt, is it free?"

"Yes, but you are going to kill me." he said a bit pissed himself. "I have one more thing to take care of, and it has to be tonight."

Pouting a bit, she gave him a quick glance then said "Tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow, but don't make any plans all day. I have the entire day planned." he said thinking on what Diane had set up for him. "One more thing, the bike was crushed today."

Wincing she said "Crushed?"

"I was going to set it on fire, but Cody threatened to save it. He was offering to buy it and almost cried when they returned the small metal box to us." He had explained afterwords the why and his second in command had said "That was what they have industrial strength disinfectant for."

Georgie and Johnny had discussed Jerry and his family, helping clear her head while he worked on a motor. Looking over at his hands, Georgie thought about how they seemed so sure, so safe yet had the ability to make her lose her chain of thought.

Johnny on the other hand thought that the grease was bothering her and said "Do you want me to wash up, I can finish this later?"

"NO!!" she said in a hurry, "Don't stop on my account."

As he finished, he asked "Have you eaten?"

"No, Mrs Jacks had food there for us, but I just couldn't eat." she said then followed him over to the utility sink.

"Would you dump some of that soap on me?" he asked then felt strange that he was aroused from her watching him wash his hands. Shaking it off, knowing he had to get his own head on straight before anything else, he asked her to go upstairs and grab him a shirt while he changed out of his overalls.

Mainly, he didn't want her to see his reaction to her as he got control over his own body. With his back to the stairs, he tossed the shirt he had on underneath into the clothes hamper and felt something hit his head.

Reaching up, he took the t-shirt off his head and slipped it on before turning and finding a longer sleeved one in complimentary colors tossed at him as well. "Let go get something to eat."

"Fine." she said handing him his coat then saying. "We are going to have to take my car, though."

"Why?" he asked stopping at his camero.

"It's Mac's and I promised to drive home and switch out cars with him." she said. "I was going to get mine back from Maxie but she has turned into a pack rat. So she gave me the money she got from the insurance company and I am going to get a new car this week."

"That was your car she turned into the moving van?" he asked. "Nice."

"It was." she said with a sigh. "I just don't know if I want an environmentally friendly car or just a cheap one, though."

At the Scorpio residence, Georgie peeked in then called out to her dad "Is the coast clear?"

"Yes, Lulu and Ethan have Bobbie all upset so Frisco and your mother went looking for them." he said then was amused when Johnny and she entered. "Keys?"

Tossing them to him, she took the ones to the SUV and looking at Johnny said "Did you ask him?"

"Yes, he is thinking on it." Johnny replied with a sideways look at her.

"Georgie, your sister left you a bunch of clothes in your old room, and there is a stew in the kitchen. Anna is supposed to be crashing here again tonight so don't lock the door." warned Mac.

"She could pick the lock faster than turning the handle dad." she said laughing. "Go, I will be fine, but Johnny is staying for dinner. Maybe more."

"It's the more than worries me." he warned as he left to their shock.

"Uh, sorry about that, I wish I could say he has a weird sense of humor, but I have no idea what that was about." she said heading to the kitchen. "Since he was embarrassing me, how about we finish off his last two beers?"

As they ate, Johnny told her about his day. "When they left, I had to pick up all the bolts, but I have to admit, it was fun. It reminded me of the few days I had the Morgan boys."

"I can see you enjoyed being with them." she said then asked "Do you ever think about being a dad?"

"Sometimes. I mean, I know I need to deal with my family issues, spending time with Jason and Elizabeth made that clear, but yes, someday I would love to have kids calling me dad."

Jason looked at the clock and slipped out of Elizabeth's bed and pulled on a shirt. Heading down the stairs, he left the house and called Cody. "Is it taken care of?"

"Yes, AJ should be calling any minute." he said before handing him the file. "Cassadine called his contact, about the diamonds. I thought you were going to use fakes?"

"AJ switched at the last minute. I understand they were confiscated by the Greek government when he went to sell them?" he asked.

"Yes, he is now completely broke. He had already spent the money he had stolen from his brother after killing him." said the bald man with satisfaction. "The other situation was ratcheted up as well. They increased the dosage given to her."

"Thank you, Cody." he said then called his brother. "How is he doing?"

"He is facing a lot, Jason. I think this is going to be good for him, it has been for me. I have been attending the sessions as well." he said. "How are things with Elizabeth and you?"

Thinking on the silent but exciting time they had just spent, he said "We are doing a lot better. I am going to wrap up the rest of this soon. We bought a house, the boys love it."

Taking a deep breath, AJ said "There is something we need to discuss... I think we need to go to Edward, make an offer. He isn't getting any younger and I think if we show a united front, we can deal with this."

"When you return, we will. Right now, with the service for Emily, things are still a little raw." he said. "AJ, there is one more person, who has to pay for their part."

"I know and we will discuss it when we return." he said grimly. "I just want to wait until we are there to make a decision on how to proceed."

Leaving, Jason returned to the Hardy house just as Elizabeth came from the kitchen with a glass of water. With a quick grin, Jason smirked and led her off to the study. "We are going to have to be quiet."

Giggling, as she saw the blankets and pillows on the rock hard sofa, she kissed him as he closed the door.

Audrey came down the stairs an hour later, needing a glass of water and saw Jason's shoes in the hallway outside of the office. Walking closer, she felt her eyes widen and her face blushed before she backed away. Heading back to her room with her water, she looked out the window and said to the stars, "Steve, I think everything is going to be okay."

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 17

Cam woke up first and went to find out if his Mommy or daddy were awake to get him breakfast. Seeing the open door and empty bed, he said "yes." thinking they were already in the kitchen. As he carefully padded down the stairs, he heard a soft sound then his Mommy saying yes sir before she started to come up the stairs.

"Daddy, whys don't you have a shirt?"

Whirling around, Elizabeth saw her son standing there then looked down at Jason with a smirk and raised eye brow before saying. "Yes, Jason, why don't you have on a shirt?"

Cam looked at his Mommy then said "Mommy, why are you wearing daddy's shirt?"

Jason choked on his chuckle then said in a tone that made Elizabeth blush. "Mommy lost her clothes, daddy gave up his shirt so she wouldn't be cold."

Waiting for even more embarrassing questions, they were surprised when instead they were asked "May I have breakfast now gramma?"

Rushing up the stairs, without even a sideways glance at her grams, Elizabeth could hear Jason's soft laugh as he called up a reminder to wear something warm.

Maxie let herself into the house, dead tired. Kate had left for Paris, taking Olivia with her and she had been stuck dealing all night. Her former roommate had absconded the day before and now Maxie was once again stuck cleaning up her mess.

Seeing Georgie asleep on the sofa with John Zachara of all people shocked her, but she was too tired to stop and find out what that was all about. Instead she dropped her bag on the chair and went up to bed in spite of it being almost seven thirty in the morning.

Lying there, beyond tired, her mind kept whirling between Spinelli's death and Johnny O'Brien's plans to leave town. She knew it was only a faint attraction, one that was muted by his looking like Jason Morgan, but that it was even there bothered her. Then there was Spinelli's suicide.

They had ended well before he had killed himself, but Maxie couldn't help wondering if she was at fault for his death. Setting her alarm for noon, she decided to stop in and see Sam, to remind herself that while Spinelli had claimed to love her, it was the dark haired woman he had been loyal to.

Her last thought before sleep drew her was what the heck was she going to do about the rent and what was her sister doing asleep with John Zachara.

Diane was up early, arriving at the building, she was relieved it was at least sound. Looking at Alexis she said "Here?"

"Yes, if Mac Scorpio is going to reopen his club and agency, I am sure he would be willing to rent out the front part for our law firm." she said. "Like I said yesterday, fresh start for all of us."

"One minute you are reluctant to pair up with me, now you are suggesting a new office. What happened to the careful planning, serious deliberation and then moving at a snail's pace that you usually do." she asked as they looked around.

"The girls last night. I asked them how they felt about it, then told them I only wanted their opinion that my decision might not match what they want." she said. "I was surprised though, they both liked the idea."

"Now we just have to spring this on Mac." said Diane.

"Spring what on me?" asked the man. Seeing them turn, he repeated the question.

"We want to rent out the front part of your building." said Diane having no shame. "In exchange for letting us remodel it ourselves, we will pay only half the rent for the first year."

Amused, Mac leaned against the car, then said "No, not really a fair agreement. How about this one. You can pay for the renovations that are superficial, I pay for any structural since that would be my responsibility as a landlord. You then agree to two restrictions. One, Alexis isn't allowed to cook, not even popcorn."

Seeing her protest, he said "It's deal breaker. Second your sign for your law firm is in the front part of the small landscaping, not on the side of the building."

Her eyes narrowing, Diane thought abut it then said "I agree, what about coffee, is Alexis allowed to make coffee?"

"Only until she burns the pot for the first time." he said. "Good doing business with you, standard rates ladies?"

Walking off to the side entrance for his club, Mac saw Jasper Jacks waiting for him. "Why are you here? I am meeting my contractor here in a few minutes?"

"I know, Georgie told me when I called. I just need a few minutes." As they entered the dusty and messy club, Mac asked "Is this about Jerry?"

"Yes, one second." said Jax then came back into the club carrying a strong box. "I found this in one of Jerry's bolt holes."

Mac picked the lock, then opened the lid. "Here."

"No, I don't want to know." he said grimly. "I am having enough trouble dealing with who he became, that and whatever is in there, I don't want to know. I figure that Georgie and the Quartermaine's do though. I just don't trust them to tell you what they find, where as I know you will tell them."

The blond left and Mac opened the various envelopes. Tossing some, he called Abbott and said "When are you charging Sam McCall?"

"The DA isn't going to charge her since it would only be punitive. She is going to never be able to move again."

"Bad mistake, meet me at my house in two hours, there are a few things I think you should read." he said. "If she gets better and is left to walk around, I don't think any of us are safe."

Jason and the boys were leading Elizabeth into Kelly's when they saw Bobbie Spencer talking to Mike. "Elizabeth, have you seen Lulu or Ethan?"

"No, I haven't." she said then joined her family determined to stay out of Spencer family drama. "Maybe they went to see Nik."

Whispering I hope not, Bobbie left the diner and hurried off, missing the call from Jax in her hurry.

As the quartette ate, Mike observed them from the counter and felt sad that her daughter would never have that with her son. Too much had been stolen from poor Courtney. He needed to ask Jason about Nik but knew if he did it while Elizabeth was with him, the mobster would shut down.

Waiting until Jason had moved to the counter to take a call. "Jason, a minute please?"

"What is it Mike?" he asked the man.

"I uh, I have been worried about my grandson, Nik left town yet again, and I am worried I am going to lose what little contact I have with Courtney's son."

Gritting his teeth and thinking AJ couldn't return fast enough, he said "I don't know what to tell you. There is nothing I can do for you.

"Can't or won't?" he snapped at the man. "Don't you get that if you had just paid attention to my daughter, Spencer would be your son?"

A bit taken back, Jason looked at the man to see if he was serious and was a bit surprised to realize he was. "No, if I had been paying attention, Elizabeth and I would have never been separated. Your son caused me to lose her, your daughter played a part as well. If I had been paying attention, I would have been married to Elizabeth years ago."

Mike saw him toss down the money to cover lunch then heard him suggest to the boys they go and get ice cream from the Metrocourt for dessert. When the diner had emptied, Mike sat down, his hands shaking as he came to realize that if Jason did a little research, he might end up the same way as Sonny.

An hour later, Bobbie showed back up at the diner with with Christmas decorations and asked the waitress, "Where did Mike go?"

"I don't know. He was talking to Jason Morgan then high tailed it out here after he left." she said with a shrug and went back to filling coffee cups.

Georgie woke up, then seeing Johnny was still asleep, ran her fingernail along the edge of his jaw. Stopping at the indention on his chin and seeing he still hadn't woke up, used the tip of her finger to rub his early morning scruff on his face.

"Keep that up and we are both going to be lying on this couch." said the raspy voice as he slowly woke up. Seeing the playful brown eyes that were leaning over him, he said "So you want to play, do you?"

Finding their positions quickly reversed, Georgie shrieked and started shouting help when her arms were pinned over her head and her side tickled. "Help, please? Uncle?" she said still laughing. "I promise to behave."

Rubbing her eyes, Maxie came to the top of the stairs and after glaring at them for waking her up said "Get a room."

"You have the wrong idea." Georgie called up to her sister just as Anna came into the room.

"Really, because from where I am standing I would have guessed the same." she said then added "There is coffee in the kitchen, are you aware that it is almost ten thirty."

"We stayed up watching movies until four. Sorry." said Georgie then felt Johnny yawning. Looking at his bowed face, she had a fanciful feeling about the way they were laying but told herself he was way beyond her and pushed the thought away.

"I as still tired." he groaned then made a joke of going to put his head down like he was going to go back to sleep, then quickly got up as he realized what the softness he had been using as a pillow was. "Uh, I should open the garage anyhow."

"I have to meet Diane at noon, anyhow." she said a bit regretfully. "Also if Lulu absconded like I think she did, I have to help Maxie figure out what to do with her apartment."

"Yeah, Lulu isn't exactly the most responsible person around." he said. "My guess would be she didn't think to leave the few months rent. You would never guess how irresponsible that family is. No wonder she turned out how she did."

Stiffening a bit, Georgie looked at him in disbelief, "Thanks for telling me about Lulu, it's not like I haven't known her since we were kids. She has always been selfish, self serving and certain that the world owes her for being a Spencer."

"Yeah, but a lot of that is …."

Georgie looked up at him and said "Look, you knew her what, two maybe three years, I have known her all of my life. And trust me, Lulu shows one side to men, and another to women."

Not sure why they seemed to be arguing he said "I know that, I just think that Luke..."

"Lulu likes to forget that Lesley Webber raised her for a good long time. She loves to blame her family but Maxie and my parents were gone most of our lives, yet we didn't use it as an excuse."

"Look, I know you don't like Lulu, but..."

"Don't like, try loath. She SLEPT with my husband, then tried to act like I was the one at fault. Then she decides she doesn't want to be a mom so she has an abortion, once again that is someone else's fault. The mess last summer, with Logan Hayes, she caused at least part of that with her lies, so don't ever think I am going to look on Lulu Spencer as a victim."

Seeing his expression, she gave a quick laugh then said "Logan, wasn't a good guy by any means, but I wonder how well you would act with a stomach full of hallucinogens in your system. That attorney who worked for your family, he was drugging Logan, using him as a test subject."

"A test subject?" he asked.

"He was trying to find the correct dosage or something from what I over heard so he could control... OH MY GOD..." Johnny saw the horror in her eyes then she said "YOU, poor screwed up Logan lost his life because Trevor Lansing wanted to control you."

Sitting down, she kept talking "First Maxie uses him to score points against Lulu, then Screwlu used him to toy with you, then dumped the moron, then he ends up... god, I can't believe I feel bad for him."

Johnny went to the door, then looking at Georgie left as he finally figured out what she was saying. He had always known he bore some responsibility for Logan, but this... to know this... Needing to know if what she said was true, or just a version colored by her own experiences, he called Elizabeth Webber and asked if he could talk to Jason and her.

"The boys would love to spend some time with you as well." she said then went back to where Mac was showing Jason the Sam files and told him what Johnny was worried about.

"It's true." said Mac quietly before handing them Jerry's files on who owed him for what. "At least the drugs by Lansing part."

Once Mac had left, Elizabeth checked on the boys. Cam was playing with his train along with Morgan who looked embarrassed. "I know I was supposed to come back down after dropping off my suitcase but... the train."

"Morgan, you are fine." she said gently. "We are glad you are here."

"Jax said you invited me, but I know you didn't like my mom." he said "I know she was mean to you."

"That is your mom, not you. So you go ahead, play with Cam. I just need to see if Jake is up from his nap." Jax had called Jason when he was driving from the airport and had asked if he could keep Morgan for the night, explaining that he had to have a meeting with Bobbie that wasn't going to be pleasant.

Heading down the hall, she saw her grams talking to Jake and had to giggle. "Isn't he a little young for that song."

"You never know. I used to sing it to you when you were a child." she said with a quick smile. "Besides, young Morgan in there needed time with Cam. He is a very lonely little boy."

"I know." hearing the doorbell, she said "That is Johnny, something came up he needed to talk to Jason and I about."

Audrey checked on the twosome and then went back to Jake who had dumped the socks all over her bed. "You are so much like your mother, you do know that don't you?"

Seeing the grin, she laughed and sat down next to him while he handed her different colored socks.

Downstairs, Jason was confirming to Johnny what they had learned about Trevor. Seeing his expression, Jason asked "What is it?"

"Logan Hayes died as a result of this." he said. "I knew he cared about Lulu, didn't care, she made me feel free, so I let her be there. Now a man has died because of things in my life."

"No, at least not directly. Johnny, I told you about her past. She decided she wanted Dillon, and lied and schemed to get him. Dillon was going to work on his marriage, she kept creating reasons for him to help her. Then when he decided to end things with Georgie, or I think actually she ended them. Lulu decided to play games with Milo, Spinelli and Dillon. When she had their attention, she started seeing Logan. When she had Logan, she started to spend time with you. Then there was Ethan."

"Ethan is her brother." he said. "What does he have to do with anything."

Elizabeth winced but knew she had to tell. "Until she found out that, she uh, well, I hate to tell you but she was flirting with him. I knew she liked him. It was why it was so hard for her to believe the truth about his parentage."

A bit sicked by that, Johnny said "I just don't get why I ended up in an argument with Georgie about it."

Jason looked at Elizabeth who said "Okay, let me try to explain it from her perspective. Georgie and Lulu are close in age. Georgie is the smart one, so everyone tells her that. But she is beautiful too, problem is that Mac thinks she has no self-esteem issues like Maxie."

"Okay, so no one tells Georgie that, they just talk about how smart she is. From what I recall, she and Maxie both liked Lucas, who liked Maxie. Georgie ended up dating Dillon during this, but Tracy interfered, blackmailing Georgie with something involving her father to stay away from her son."

.

"Tracy wanted to do business with Lorenzo and Sage who liked him." said Elizabeth. "Dillon screws up and sleeps with Sage." She left out part of that, Johnny didn't need to know about their virginity pact.

"Okay, so he breaks her heart and what?" asked Johnny. "They had to get over it, they got married."

"Yes but it took a while, and then Sage was killed during a blackout at the Quartermaines." she said.

"After Georgie was cleared of the murder, things settled down until Diego showed up to stalk the girls for what happened to Sage. Diego went to jail, Dillon almost died so Georgie married him against her family's wishes and I think it really wasn't what she wanted." stated Elizabeth.

"Then why did she do it?" he asked.

Jason listened knowing it would give him a clue as to Elizabeth's mindset with Lucky back then as well. "I think out of a sense of obligation."

"Lulu and Diego made a deal, he wanted Georgie, she wanted her step brother. Lulu ended up pregnant and Georgie wouldn't forgive Diego. You know the next part but there is the emotions I am sure she went though."

Seeing he didn't understand, she said "She worked at Kelly's with Lulu, had to see the man she had loved chasing after Lulu, making a fool of himself for her. It does a number on you. Then she had to watch as Lulu ran off with Logan. I can get her anger, especially since I guarantee that Lulu thinks Georgie should apologize to her for Dillon not choosing her in the first place."

"That makes no sense." he said confused.

"That is the Spencer part of her coming out. Georgie has always been the good girl, the one to do the right thing. Lulu has taken from her repeatedly and I know there is more, but honestly, Johnny, it is none of your business until she is ready to tell you." Elizabeth said firmly.

"I just don't... I like Georgie, but I have a past with Lulu. I can't pretend that I didn't care for her."

"NO one, including Georgie wants you to, but Johnny, when we talked about this last time, I told you, Lulu is a drama queen who in true Spencer fashion tells tales that are well slanted her way."

"I know, I do know that, I guess it was this idea Georgie has that Lulu is two faced." he said.

Elizabeth laughed and said "Johnny, she is. I have seen it."

"Why didn't I see it then?" he asked.

Thinking on it and her own past, Elizabeth said "You won't like my answer but men never do until after they stop sleeping with a woman, men never want to see it. They hate feeling like they were taken for a ride, like they aren't the best lover in the world."

Wincing, Jason knew that Elizabeth was talking about more than Lulu now, it could just about fit Courtney and Sam as well. "Johnny, talk to Maxie, now that Georgie is home... trust me on this. She is past this need to bond with Lulu because of Georgie's death. She will actually be more honest than I am."

Walking the younger man to the door, Jason said "Do you remember asking me about Courtney?"

Nodding as he moodily stared at the porch floor, Johnny was shocked at what Jason said next. "Lulu is like Courtney in that regard. She wanted a man who had money and power that reflected on her. Courtney hated Elizabeth, not because of anything she had done, but because Courtney and Lulu hate women they think of as having it all."

"But they don't, no one does."

"Elizabeth and Georgie are well liked, smart and beautiful with looks that are going to fade away as they get older. They are also well liked by their own sex. Lulu mainly had male friends, Maxie was the exception and while I don't like the blond, I could see how she was missing her sister. Courtney had one female friend, that was Carly and they were using one another."

Leaving Johnny made plans to think things through, he liked well, he had to admit more than liked Georgie but knew he had to give her time, let her see that he saw her as the smart beautiful person she was. He considered calling Maxie, but he got what Elizabeth was saying. She was right about that part too, he didn't want to think that Lulu had had other reason for wanting to date him, but he should, after all he had had other reasons for dating her.

Jax was telling his mother what he had found, then told her that Morgan was with Elizabeth and Jason. "I have to give Bobbie some bad news and thought that it would be a good idea for him not to be here."

"What did your ex do now?" she asked, after hearing about Jerry, she wasn't ready to deal with more of this.

"Nothing, at least not like you are thinking." he said wearily. "This is about Michael."

"How is he doing?" she asked. She had liked the little boy.

"Better, AJ wants to have Bobbie come out for a visit but she has to abide by a few rules she isn't going to like."

When the former nurse arrived, Jax sat her down and gave her the news. "Why are you letting AJ get away with brainwashing Michael."

"He isn't. This is the doctors' orders. Michael has been dealing with his issues, and I agree with Dr. Collins, Micheal's worst problems stem from Carly and Sonny. Now if you want to go with us, we are leaving the day after tomorrow."

Still pissed, she asked "And my daughter, where is she?"

"Germany. I will give you the name of the hospital but it won't do you any good." he said. "Carly tried to escape and was hurt. She has a broken arm, now."

"She needs me." announced the woman, "But you are right, Michael needs me more. Jax, do you think she will get better, ever?"

"I don't know." he said then went to walk her out. Returning, he sat down and opened the letters, reading them, he made a decision. "Mom, I have to run out, can you keep Jossyln?"

Arriving at the garage, he walked in and saw the younger man working on a vintage Aston Martin. "Nice."

Johnny stood and glared at the blond while rubbing his head where he had hit it. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, I just found these in my brother's stuff, they seem to belong to you." he said tossing down the bundle of letters. Johnny stared at them, like they were snakes.

"Thank you." he said woodenly. When the blond had left, Johnny took of the gloves he had been wearing and sat down on his bench. Picking up the letters, he said "Why now?"

Not getting an answer, he locked up and went to his rooms upstairs. Pouring himself a glass of scotch, he sat down and stared at the letters. All he could think was he had been moving on, accepting that his dream girl was long gone. Starting chronologically, he took the first letter out in a trance like state and sat down to read it.

It was early the next morning that he came to a decision. Tossing the letters into a box in the back of his closet, he closed the door wishing it was as easy to walk away from the memories the letters brought back. Walking down the docks, he tried to make up his mind and knew that he couldn't.

Calling Mac Scorpio, he said "Thank you for the offer, but I need to spend some time finding out who I am."

Leaving, he called the owner for the silver car in his garage and informed him it was ready then went to pack. As he made plans, he found himself not wanting to leave. But after a night of long thought and hard decisions, he knew he had to. He had fallen so quickly for the young girl, but what if it wasn't real, what if he hurt her by keeping the memories that these letters brought back.

Georgie deserved a man who could give her their whole heart, especially after her past. He on the other hand was still in love with someone he had never met. Wishing it wasn't so, he sat down to write her a letter. As hard as it was and knowing it would hurt her, he still did it. It was better to hurt her short term than to pretend she was the only person in his heart.

Going to his closet, he took out the letters and sat down, part of his loathing the way they affected him, the way they had returned to him just as he had come to realize he was in love with someone else. An hour later, he sat in front of the Scorpio house, then slipped in to leave the letter.

Driving to Crimson Point, Johnny made a call and asked the man on the other end. "How hard is it to trace a post office box?"

"Depends, is it at the Post Office or one of those private operations."

"A private box." he said before taking out a pen and starting to go though the letters, bit by bit looking for clues.

Sam wasn't happy she was being transferred and didn't hesitate to let anyone know it. When she was in her room at the private clinic, she was feeling rather smug, since it was the same clinic that had housed Michael. Jason had to have arranged it for her.

Hearing footsteps, she saw Alexis entering and said "what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to let you know, I did this. I figured it was the perfect place for you." she said coolly. "I also made damn sure they knew what you did to those little boys."

Walking away, Alexis felt relief that her last obligation to Sam was over. She had taken the money from Nik that he had stolen from Lucky. It had confirmed her thoughts as to how he had died and it sickened her how much he had turned out like his father.

Nik sat in his study, feeling shell shocked. His diamonds were blood diamonds, worthless in the current political climate. The bonds were worth penny's on the dollar and his last remaining cache had been stolen someplace between Port Charles and Greece.

Walking around his island, Nik tried to figure out where he went wrong then heard his son calling his name. Starting to snap for him to go find his nanny, Nik recalled he had let the woman go since he didn't have the money to pay her.

Trying not to snap at his son, Nik sat down and built the sand castle the little boy wanted. In his mind he thought about his assets of which there were few. His title, his looks then grimacing knew he had to start working out again and cutting down on the foods.

Making a few calls, he found someone needed what he had to offer and he made the deal, turning down the offer to see a picture of his future wife. Walking back to the huge white elephant his family had build, Nik looked at the papers the lawyer had faxed and saw the amount of the dowry and signed them sure his coffers would soon be full.

Georgie had read the note and after crumpling it up, swore she wouldn't let a man get close to her emotionally again as she worked for Diane and prepared for her dad to reopen his agency. Working out at the gym, she took every single self defense course they had to offer needing the outlet to work out her anger and disappointment.

Meanwhile, Johnny sat in the study at Crimson Point unable to bring himself to look for his nameless friend as his mind kept wondering what Georgie was up to. He had called Jason only then found he couldn't bring her up. Instead he asked about Elizabeth and how things were going with the new house.

Hearing that the family was getting ready to move in, he turned down an offer to come for dinner anytime he was free. Elizabeth reminded him too much of Georgie. As he went for a drive, he sat down on the dock bench for hours.

"Johnny?" he heard and flinched when he heard Maxie Jones' voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Thinking." he said. Then asked her to sit down. "How are you?"

"Fine, I uh, I don't know if I should let you know, but Georgie is in Italy for a two week trip to that school she got into." she said looking at the man. "What happened?"

"Nothing." he said quietly. "I am a screw up and don't want to mess things up anymore than they are."

"How would you do that?" she asked. "Because frankly as the queen of screwupville, I know more then most about the subject."

With a slight grin, he stood and said "I have to be going, just... look, I ..."

"She will be fine, Georgie always is." she said gently then watched him walk away and made a call to get another number. Then calling it asked "I know you are busy, but can I talk to you?"

Driving down the tree lined drive, Maxie sat in her car for a couple of minutes then went to knock on the door in spite of the guards. "Elizabeth?"

"Come in." she said as she led her into the living room. "What is going on, Maxie?"

Taking a deep breath, she said "I think this is more something you can help with than me. My sister is living a half life, I know what it looks like, after all I saw you like that when helping Sam torment you. Then there is Johnny, I saw him on the docks. He looks no better."

"I know you want to help, but honestly, there isn't a lot you can do." she said. "I have a good idea what is going on."

Jax had stopped and told them about the letters and how his brother had apparently found something in them to use against the younger Zachara. It had taken a while but Elizabeth had figured it out. And while she wished she could tell Johnny to chose the real woman in his life, she knew that if he didn't figure this out on his own, they would never be happy.

When he returned home, Jason entered the newly decorated bedroom and gently eased Elizabeth onto the bed and said "What do you say to spending the rest of the afternoon, right here?"

Pulling his head down into a kiss, she said "Sounds like a good idea, but I have plans with this handsome blond with azure blue eyes who really likes my cooking."

"You must be..." seeing the trap, he said "Oh, no, I am not going to say a word about your cooking ever again."

"Good choice." she said. "I need to tell you something."

"That your answer is yes?" he asked quietly.

"No." she said then seeing his disappointment, she put her hand over his mouth, she said "The answer is yes, but that isn't what I have to tell you."

"Then it can wait." he said reaching down to start removing his t-shirt. Then stopping rushed down the stairs to the den and opened the safe. Following him, Elizabeth laughed then said "Wait!"

"No, we are doing this now. I will arrange for a priest, we can get married as soon as you are ready." he said very intent on getting them married; finally.

"Jason, please stop and listen to me for a few minutes." she said only for him to pick her up and spin her. "Jason, please, you are making me sick."

Stopping, he sat down with her still in his arms. "I can't, you have no idea."

They had worked so hard over the past few months and since returning to Port Charles he had been more sure that things would work out. When Tom had finally left town, telling them they were more than capable of dealing with any lingering issues themselves, he had been proud to know that they had survived the fire and brimstone that the hell their lives had been.

"Jason." she said kissing him on the lips and reaching for his hands, she placed them on her stomach and said "Those six or seven kids we discussed, number three is on the way."

Freezing, Jason was happy then scared in less than thirty seconds. "Is that why you said yes?"

"No, I had planned on getting you to take me out on the new bike and telling you yes, but I was dizzy today at the hospital and Kelly suggested I take a test." she said with a slight grin that quickly fell. "I forgot to cancel with your parents, they were going to keep the boys so I could tell you yes."

"Don't, we will still go, just in the SUV. I just dropped them off and Alice and they had plans." he said then kissed her. "Are you sure you are okay with this?"

Thinking back on their talk about waiting for a year or so, she said "Yes, I was a bit surprised but since we haven't been using anything, I don't know why."

AJ and Michael were in his son's room as they discussed the day's therapy session. Michael was not doing well with having to talk about his past feelings of anger and resentment in regards to Jason and his family.

He had wanted to sweep that part away and hadn't liked that both Jax and AJ had been there with him. They had finally got him to admit that he felt jealous that Jason had a new family. He had also been a bit upset to find out that AJ had been guiding Kristina and him home from Mexico. He had looked on that as something he had done and hadn't taken it well to find out it wasn't the truth.

Bobbie's visit had been a good thing, the red head had left sure she was doing the right thing by helping with Michael instead of chasing to help her daughter.

Christmas was coming and Jason and the boys were keeping secrets, while Elizabeth was dancing around singing carols as she prepared to celebrate their holidays. Christmas Eve had been spent at the hospital before going home and spending the night and part of the next day by themselves.

On a visit to the Quartermaine's later, Elizabeth had overheard Dillon talking and knew that Georgie had come back from Italy for the holidays but had made it plain to her ex that they didn't have a future together. Elizabeth had considered interfering but had decided to stay out of it.

She had figured out one more piece of the puzzle and had felt bad for not telling anyone, but she knew that the young couple had to get together on their own. She did feel bad because she was almost certain that the ghost Johnny was chasing was the exact same woman he was worried about falling in love with without answers to his past.

She had sent him an invitation to her wedding, hoping that he would show up and realize what he was doing to both himself and Georgie.

A month later, Elizabeth walked down the aisle at the hospital chapel and said I do to the man who had held her heart for years. Looking around at their family in attendance, she closed her eyes and thanked whoever was listening for giving her another chance at her dream.

As the reception continued, she talked quietly to Robin who spread the word to the guests who agreed to do what she had asked. Changing out of her wedding dress, Elizabeth took the smaller bouquet and tossed it over her head, hoping her aim was true.

Sure enough it was, while Johnny looked a bit upset, the rest of the men laughed at his catching the bridal bouquet. Jason hadn't want to help but his wife had made it clear he was going to help or would be sleeping with their sons that night.

Making sure to aim for Cody, who would dash out of the way at the last minute, he found the hush a bit much until he saw that it had landed right in Georgie's glass. When she sat it down then picked up her father's shot of brandy and drained it, Elizabeth hoped this worked.

When the young couple danced, Elizabeth and Jason bade the rest of their guests goodbye as they reminded Cam and Jake to be good for their grandparents. "Mommy, we are always good."

Burying her head in her husband's chest to hide her grin, Elizabeth said "Sure you are."

When the jet was winging it's way to Italy, Jason pulled her into his arms and said "Okay, what are you up to."

"The letters, the woman Johnny is chasing, it is Georgie." she said then explained. "I want him to tell her what is going on."

"What was up with the music?" he asked thinking on how they had gone from an small band to a DJ after they had danced.

"I wanted them to dance to that song." she said simply.

"I liked the words." he said as he pulled out the disk, "I uh, sort of ask them for it."

With a laugh, she took the CD and said "Me too."

"You know, when AJ bought the jet, he made sure it had all the amenities." he said with a grin.

"Really, he did?" she asked only to be drawn to the door leading to the back of the plane. An hour later, she kissed him and said "You know, he had a good idea."

"I love you, Mrs. Morgan and Miss Morgan." he said kissing her stomach.

TBC

I thought about it and since this story only has one more chapter, I decided to post it first. Then return to Thanks to Helena. I am also asking which of my older stories do you want me to finish next? Switching Places, Happily Ever After or should I finish bringing Repairing the damage over here and finish posting One Bright and Shining Morning(JoGo) at ?

Those that like Prodigal son, I am currently reworking it since I am loathing Nik with the hate of a thousand suns right now.


	23. Chapter 23 A Happy Ending

Chapter 23

Elizabeth woke up curled around her pillow and looking around found the t-shirt with the note on it. Following it's directions, she saw Jason on the patio waiting for her. "Good afternoon, I thought you were going to stay with me."

Kissing his wife after pulling her onto his lap, Jason said "We had company while you were asleep and I didn't want them to disturb you."

Resting her head on his shoulder, she saw the flowers and asked "Who was here?"

"Max and Milo." he said with sigh. "I found out Max got married. They will be staying in Italy, but wanted to wish us well. The flowers and the food in the kitchen are from their father."

They had also told him that Maximus had given Jerry Jacks a choice, either take care of Sam and Spinelli or die. The Aussie had screwed up the first half so the guard with him had killed Jerry. Jason had known part of it, and had paid for it to be done with a major chunk of Sonny's former business.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked "There is a museum in Sienna, or we could drive to Rome."

"How about we stay here, I am sure that is quite a few things we can come up with to do here." she said and found herself kissed senseless. "First however, your daughter is demanding to be fed."

As she followed Jason to the stone kitchen, Elizabeth admired the view only to hear "If you want food, you need to stop removing my jeans with your eyes."

Blushing, she said "Hey, that is our daughter who wants a meal, I would prefer to stay in bed all day."

Feeding his wife, Jason found took much longer when they were alone. Between kissing each other and the need for skin to skin contact, the omelet was lukewarm and the fruit soft by the time Elizabeth had eaten the last bite.

Carrying her back down the hall, Jason was about to head to their room when he stopped and said "I have another place I want to show you."

"Jason, if you don't finish this now..." she said laughing as he turned around and went up more stairs. Arriving on the second floor, she said "Last time we were here, I saw this floor."

"Not this you didn't." he said then carried her into the master bedroom. Laying her down on the bed, he saw her astounded expression as she looked at the murals, then at the large carved bed she was on and started to laugh.

"Jas-jason, what is this?" she asked looking at all the cupids and various other allegorical scenes. Then she glanced up and saw the mirror on the top of the canopy bed. "Oh, this is way too over the top, who did this?"

"The family that owned the house before I bought it. I tried having the bed removed, but they would have to take it apart and even then it would have to go out the windows over there." he said while she just laughed. "Now you know why I was using the downstairs bedroom."

"So why are we here now?" she asked only for the mood to become more serious when Jason laid down next to her and whispered "I wanted to at least keep it for us, for this moment. I have dreamed of this since the day I bought this place."

Georgie let herself into the club, tomorrow was opening night and she wanted to check and make sure everything was set. After talking to the club manager, she went up the stairs to her father's new office and saw him looking through old files. "Dad, do you need anything?"

"No, sweetie." he said then gave a quiet chuckle. "Want to see something."

Taking the offered picture, she started to laugh at Kevin Collins and her father dressed in Nun's habits. "Was this for a case?"

"I swore I would never answer that question." he said. Standing, he went to the window overlooking the club and asked "Where is your task master?"

"Diane or Alexis?" she asked. Then said "Diane is dealing with Cody being arrested for punching some guy at Jake's lights out over Kelly Lee and Alexis was mumbling threatening remarks about you as she went to get something to eat."

"I forbade her to cook in the building." he said absentmindedly. Then pulling his thoughts together said "What happened yesterday with Johnny?"

"Nothing, we danced like Elizabeth manipulated us into doing, but then when the music ended we each went our own way." she replied with a shrug. "I have to meet Maxie, she has a fashion designer crisis."

"I heard what you did, Alexis told me you wrote the paper, then filed it on your sister's behalf then wrote the arguments for the court case." he said. "You are going to be a great lawyer, you do know that."

Hugging him on her way to the stairs, Georgie said "Yes, I do."

At the Metrocourt, Maxie was waiting for her when she arrived at the restaurant. "Thank you!"

"You are welcome, I guess that Leslie Lu Spencer has been ordered to pay her share?" she asked.

"Yes, the landlord returned half of the first and last months rent and most of the security deposit to me as well, since I was the one who put it up. When she finally returned Lulu is in for a nasty little shock." she said smugly. "She owes the land company four thousand dollars and the more time passes the more the interest grows."

"Half the rent would only be twenty five hundred, was the rest punitive?" she asked after placing her order.

"Nope, there was damage to her room too. I said for them to take that out of the security deposit, being the oh so gracious person I am." she said giggling. "And they kept her share of the two months. I can't wait for her to call again and ask me to send her her so called fair share of it. And the stuff she left there, they put in storage and that is adding on to what she owes."

"Good, couldn't happen to a nicer person." she said. "So, who was the call from yesterday?"

"Uh, that man that was pretending to be Jason." she said quietly. "I enjoyed talking to him, but he isn't coming back. He was just letting me know."

"Did you like him?" Georgie asked her sister.

"It was more like I kind of thought if he didn't have Jason's face, I could find him attractive in an older man fashion." she said. Maxie took a deep breath and continued. "That designer, this Andre Collier, he asked me out. I said no."

"Why?" the brunette asked. "I thought you liked him?"

"I do, but it was more for who he is professionally then who he is personally. I am going on a date with Patrick's little brother. We flirted a while back, but nothing came of it."

"So why go on a date with him?" she asked confused.

"I need to find out who I am." she said then saw Georgie flinching and recalling the letter from Johnny winced at how she had echoed his words to her sister.

Alexis slipped into the back of the courtroom after lunch as her ex-daughter was convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to commit fraud, fraud, attempted murder, as well as several charges of perjury.

Sam had tried to say she that she had made mistakes because of her fragile mindset, and then had tried to use her stillborn daughter as a reason for that. The judge hadn't bought it and had sentenced her to forty years to life if she ever got better.

When the woman had been led out of the courtroom crying, Alexis walked over and asked for a few minutes. "Sam, did you ever love that baby or was she always a means to an end."

"How can you even ask me that?" she said bitterly. "If my baby hadn't died, none of this would have happened. Jason and I would be happy, that bitch Elizabeth wouldn't have gotten her hooks in him and I would have the life I always wanted. I would have the respect and we all know the way the Quartermaines are about family, I would have had it all."

"I just heard I, and I and I, not a single word about how your child would have been. Sam, when you are a parent, they are the most important priority of your life. You, your entire life has been about you. And while you might have been happy in this scenario, Jason wouldn't have."

Walking away, Alexis took one last shot and made sure it counted. "You do know that Jason and Elizabeth are married, don't you?"

"Of course they are married, it's the only way he could get his son." she said snorting.

"They have another child on the way as well. Elizabeth found out the day of the wedding. It's going to be a little girl." she added to twist the knife.

"I guarantee the first time he puts her to bed in our penthouse, he remembers our little girl, so I will still be there, still be a ghost between them." she called out.

"Sam, they bought a house out the cliff roads. And I guarantee, they have exorcised any thoughts about you from their minds. Things are back the way they were meant to be, you, are more like a wisp, something they think of only when reminded. Sam, when you die, there is going to be no one on this earth to mourn you. No one that will care as they put your body in potter's field."

Early the next morning, the nurse who was responsible for Sam's care during the day went to her supervisor who said "I will tell the doctor, but I don't think he is going to be too worried, it's not like Miss McCall can commit suicide without help."

Jax was helping Morgan with his homework when he got the call from Bobbie. "Thank you for sending me to see her. You were right, I called AJ a few minutes ago, he is going to talk to Michael."

"I am sorry, Bobbie." he said then looking over to where his children were, he said "They want to drug her, I told them it was up to you."

"The papers were already signed. Did you know that she claims to have seen Brenda?" she asked. Jax started to say something but kept quiet. If it took Bobbie thinking Brenda had been imaginary for her to agree to let them drug Carly, he would keep quiet.

"Your pilot is waiting, I will be stopping to see Laura in Paris before returning. Lulu is there and she is upset about something." the red head said with a sigh. "I am worried about her turning into Carly."

Johnny took the packet from the private investigator he hired then after paying the man, sat it on his desk. Sitting there looking at it, knowing it contained all the answers to his questions, he got up, went to his closet and pulled out the letters.

Tossing them into the passenger seat, Johnny drove from Crimson Point to Port Charles. Grimacing when he realized it was dinner time, he called and asked "Can you meet me?"

Wanting to say she wasn't going to be at his beck and call, the brunette looked at her lock box and said "At Kelly's."

Returning her letters, her divorce decree and some other papers to the box, Georgie locked it and then let her dad know he could return it to the safe when he got home that night. When she arrived at the diner, she saw Mike who looked shaky at the counter and turned when she heard footsteps.

"Let's walk, okay?" she asked. Nodding, he said "I still own the garage, we can go there, if you don't mind."

"No, that is fine." she said awkwardly. Looking at him while he turned on the heat, Georgie said "How are you?"

"Fine, I guess." he said then asked her to sit down. "I owe you a better explanation for what happened."

"Johnny, no you don't. We were, are friends, yes I think we both wanted more, but in the end, you were right, we both needed to find ourselves." she said choking on the words.

"That's not true. That is part of what I have to tell you, please?" he pleaded with her.

Not wanting to hear this, she still sat down. As he told her about his childhood, about Trevor, she got what he had meant about being lonely as a child. "That is why I missed Claudia so much, she was my anchor."

Looking at his coat where the letters caused the front pocket to bulge, he said "The computer became my contact with the outside world. I made a friend, one I would come to care very much for." he said stuttering a bit. "We started to write to each other, just nonsense stuff, but it made things a bit easier to deal with. I know that sounds lame but..."

"No, it doesn't." she said thinking about her friend who had been there for her while she had been living through her parents splitting up and Maxie's drama of a life. "I just don't understand why you are telling me this now..."

"I built this person up in my mind, they were well, she became this dream in my mind. I used to think that if my dad was gone, if Trevor was gone, I would find her and we would live happily ever after." he said flushing a bit at the lameness of it.

"Then Trevor found out. I erased my hard drive then smashed my computer. I told her in our last contact that I was ..." putting away childish interests. He thought to himself what a fool he had been. "I just ended the letters. A few weeks later, Trevor set my father to attacking me, so I ran."

"Is this when your Mom's family in Ohio were killed?" she asked sympathetically.

"I don't know if it was Trevor or Anthony, but yes." he said. "I came home, did what I was told, was their little puppet but rereading and rereading those letters, they took on even more importance. They were my goal of freedom. Then I overheard Trevor talking one day about Port Charles and his plans for here."

"You met Lulu, right?"

"No, this was about six months before." he said. "Someone had gotten in over their head and in exchange for the money to get out of debt they gave up a lot on Jason Morgan. I came to town but didn't know how to warn him. Anyhow, I was racing back to get home before my curfew when I saw an address in Beecher's Corners and I had an accident."

"Where you hurt badly?"

With a wry laugh he said "I took out the building, had a broken arm and a concussion. It was worth it though, it gave me hope. Then I started to act like that accident wasn't an accident. Trevor shit bricks worried I was trying to kill myself so he got Anthony to release the leash just a bit."

Swallowing hard, he said "Then I went to find my friend but it was too late, my only way to find her was gone. So I decided to embrace what freedom I had. That was when I met Lulu. I went home, put my letters in the fireplace and walked away. My friend was someplace, she is happy and more than likely forgot all about the me. I knew it was the right thing to do."

"Why?" she asked bluntly, thinking about her own pen pal.

"She is and was safe from my world." he said simply. "I let it go, I took my feelings for her and just sort of put them in a box that said do not touch. It worked for a long time, then I kidnapped Elizabeth's boys and some part of that box kicked itself open. I was fine with that, she became this ideal."

Georgie swallowed at the tone of his voice, she felt her own heart breaking as she realized he had come to tell her he had found this woman. The woman he was clearly in love with. Not sure she wanted to hear it, but knowing he needed to tell her, she just sat there.

"I decided that what I was going to look for in the future wasn't the opposite of her, but someone with the same ideals. Someone who didn't just live life, someone who wanted to make it better." he said softly. Then added "I was certain it would work, but then Jax came to me with these letters that Jerry had. He had stolen them from Trevor, how he got them, I don't know."

"I sat down, I was going to just put them in the closet and forget them. Instead I felt this pull, this need to read them." he said softly. "And they made matters worse, because I knew I was falling in love with you, and yet there was this woman. And reading them, the letters reminded me of my past yet also they seemed almost about you."

Georgie stood and walked to the window, staring out in spite of not actually seeing a thing. Johnny saw her, saw she was tense waiting for the blow she knew was coming even as he tried to figure it out. "I don't know if I was projecting you onto her letters or was trying to find a reason not to go looking. So I decided to figure it out. I wrote you that letter, not wanting to hurt you, because from the moment we met, I felt this pull, this ..." he left it blank.

Wiping the tear on his cheek he said hoarsely. "I hired someone, had them look for her. Reread and reread the letters for clues and yet you kept popping up. They brought me the file today and I couldn't bring myself to read it."

"Are you afraid your dream won't match reality?" she asked curious. "I have been there, we all have."

"No, actually more scared I am going to find she does match the dream, because god..." Johnny looked at the woman he knew he wanted a future with, but he also knew he still was attached to the woman from his past. "I have no right to ask... I don't want to hurt you... I just..."

Hearing the gaps between words, Georgie turned and felt her heart twist at the agony on his face and said "What is it?"

"I love you." he said barely getting the word out. "Yet I can't walk away from this. I have no right asking you but please, help me time to figure this out. I know that I am being an ass, but the fear of losing you matters more than finding out the truth about her."

Her legs weakened by what he was saying, Georgie walked over and sat down and asked "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I brought the letters with me, tell me to toss them in the fireplace, tell me you love me too." he said. "I need to hear it, I so want to take that leap..."

Georgie found some inner strength and said "I love you, but I am telling you not to toss them. Find out the truth, Johnny. That way it isn't hanging over us."

Kissing her, he pulled her into his arms, then pulled back. "What exactly are you saying..."

"Johnny, go meet her, find out the truth. Who knows what you will find."

"Will you do one more thing, before you leave..." he asked "If I am going to go and meet her, read the letters, or is that asking too much?"

Not sure she wanted to, but knowing she would be curious, Georgie said "Yes, but can I take them with me."

Nodding, he pulled out the large envelope with them in it and handed it to her. "I am spending the night here, if you want to talk."

Johnny walked Georgie to the door and gave her a hug, knowing he was taking a risk. As he climbed into bed, he fell asleep right away, realizing he had relieved himself of the heavy burden he had been carrying since the day Jax had given him the letters.

Three days later, Elizabeth and Jason were disembarking from the jet only to hear "Well well, little brother, you look rather smug."

Glaring at AJ, he settled for a mild "What are you doing here?" instead of smacking the smirk off his face.

"Besides being blinded by your grin, you mean?" he asked. "I am here because we have a few loose ends to clean up. Hello, Elizabeth, may I say you look radiant today?"

Chuckling, Elizabeth gave him a hug then asked "How is Michael doing?"

"It is the start of his first month without immediate supervision, when I asked him what he wanted me to send to him. He said his gaming system and then asked for cookies from Kelly's." he told them. "He is doing much better, still has his up and down days but that is to be expected."

"I know that Bobbie went to see him, she left a message on my voice mail." said Jason.

"Jax and she flew out after bringing Lulu home." he said with a smirk. "I used to think of Laura Spencer as weak, but man, she was breathing fire today when she was at GH."

"What is going on?" asked Elizabeth as they got into the car now that their luggage had been tucked into the trunk.

"Lulu took off, something about her apartment. Laura was up in arms, something about how a Spencer always pays their debts?" he said looking amused. "Lulu is now working at GH as an orderly. She was throwing a hissy fit at Georgie Jones earlier."

Pulling up to the house, Elizabeth and Jason weren't even out of the car when Jake and Cam came rushing out to greet them. "We have lots and lots to tell you."

After thanking her grams and Steven for keeping the boys, the newlyweds found themselves along with their boys. Listening to stories about Steven helping them paint pictures for them and how Grandpa Jeff had slipped on the soap after helping give them a bath as well as how Alice had come out for a day to help them back cookies, Jason found himself watching his wife, imagining her surrounded by that large family they had talked about.

"Mommy, Morgan went to Arizona, they have a really, really big ditch out there, can we go see it?" asked Cam while Jake just went to the children's books about the states and pulled it off showing them the picture saying SEE!

"He said his new daddy, Jax took him to see it." said Cam. "He is nice, he brought Morgan out to visit and then took us to visit him at the hotel pool."

Once the boys had settled down, Jason kissed his wife and said "I have to go deal with this."

"Go, just remember we have plans for this evening." she said with a secret smile.

"Remind me again?" he asked easing her back against the wall.

"Dinner after the boys are in bed, then I believe you wanted to see that outfit I bought at the airport on our way home." she said as he thought about the foam green lace and silk dress.

"I will be as quick as I can and don't even think of starting without me." he ordered on his way. Stopping to check in with the guards, he heard that other than Lulu Spencer stopping by looking for Elizabeth twice the day before it had been quiet.

Mike wasn't happy when AJ entered the diner. "What are you doing here? Haven't you done enough to my family?"

"I would say you owe me." the blond retorted. "You owe me family, for inflicting your offspring on us, for your own failings and for the mistake you made in February of 2007."

Seeing his expression of fear then the look of smug calmness, he listened to the gambler say "What proof do you have?"

"Jerry Jacks found out, he was keeping it in reserve in case he had need for it. What I want to know is when you learned the truth?"

Swearing Mike kept silent as he watched AJ lean against the counter. "We know about your selling what you knew about Jason, I do want to know, did you mean for it to go to Lansing, or did you have someone else in mind? Were you trying to get to my brother? And why?"

"He, he BETRAYED my little girl, then when she died, he didn't even care." he hissed. "For what, that tramp Sam McCall, for Elizabeth Webber?"

"What about Courtney, what about what she did?" he asked curious to hear his response. "Seriously Mike, your daughter was a whore looking for the main chance."

"She was a good girl, she lost herself because of this town." he said. "She is dead and no one ever even thinks about it, no one remembers my little girl."

Feeling sick, AJ said "You do, but now you are going to pay for your mistakes and then there will be no one left to care that she is dead. Mike, your daughter left a path of lies and deceit behind her. Your son a path of death and destruction, thank god you only had two kids."

A half hour later, two customers entered the diner surprised it was still open just as a small man in a black mask skipped past them carrying a gun. Shocked they saw the long time manager, Mike lying in a puddle of blood. Calling the police, they said "Kelly's was robbed and we just saw the thief leaving carrying a gun. Mike is dead."

Georgie was standing at the back of the club watching the crowds ebb and flow, seeing her sister and cousin looking her way, she pretended to be happy and waved at them. Moving their way, she greeted them while Maxie said rather smugly "I knew that dress was perfect for you."

Looking down at the strapless black dress, Georgie said "Could you find it a little longer next time. I feel like my legs are exposed."

Hugging her, Maxie looked to where Johnny was sitting in a booth and sulking while glaring at her sister, then said "This is a club, not a nunnery."

"Convent." she said absentmindedly while watching as Lulu entered the club. "Excuse me, I have to deal with something."

Walking over to the blond Georgie never saw Johnny moving in closer. "Welcome to the Outback."

"Daddy have to hire you since no one else will?" Lulu snarked. Then looking at her said "Nice dress, did you forget to wear the bottom of it."

"Oh course." she said then went to walk away but Lulu didn't have the sense to let it go and said "You are rather pathetic you know. I mean, please... that outfit begs a man for attention. Not that you ever really did have much to appeal to one. Dillon felt sorry for you, Diego was nuts and even Spinelli wasn't into you. You are a loser who lives with and works for her daddy."

Johnny wasn't that shocked he had come to believe what Elizabeth had told him but seeing and hearing it first hand was a different thing. Stepping up to defend Georgie he felt someone grab his arm and saw Robin shaking her head.

Georgie turned and looked the blond up and down then said "Funny, that looks like one of Carly's dresses. Mommy wouldn't buy you a dress to attend tonight, would she?"

"Please, at least my mother is here, where is yours again?" sneered Lulu.

"Saving the world, instead of spending years locked up in a world made up in her mind, how was that by the way. When you were there did they give you matching rooms?" she snarked back at the blond. "Lulu, let it go. I don't want to fight with you this evening."

"Why, afraid you would lose at that just like you have everything else in your life? How was school in Italy, that's right, you didn't get to go did you?" she asked gleefully. "I spent a couple of weeks there with Ethan, it was beautiful."

"I know." she said and started to walk away just as Lulu decided she had to have the last word.

"How does it feel to know that every single man you have ever cared for wanted someone else more."

Raw from what was going on with Johnny, she turned and said "You want to talk, let's. You have no man because they get sick of the whining, the pathetic need to cling, or the endless lies. You live in your mother's house so you have nothing to say about me living at home. And as for jobs, lets' see. Kelly's, which you got because you were family. Crimson which you got because of Carly and then there is your current job, which you got because of Bobbie and your mother begging Steven Webber to give you a chance."

"Please, you don't even have a real job." she sneered.

"No, I have three. I work as a paralegal for Diane Miller, I work for my dad here and then I help with his agency. Oh, and I will be graduating in May, how did college work out for you, Lulu?"

Flushing, she said "At least men want me!"

"Good, that way you have a fallback career, just like your cousin, marrying rich men and taking them for everything they are worth. I am little more interested in self respect than social climbing, Lulu."

"But still no man?" she mocked.

"True, but they can be replaced with batteries and sperm banks." she said sweetly. "When the men run off, and you have lost your looks, what next Lulu? End up in a padded cell just like Carly?"

"Enough." said Laura pushing her way through the growing crowd. "Georgie, I am ashamed at the way you are talking. How could you use that to hurt, Lulu?"

"Laura, you are not my mother, so I really don't give a damn how you feel about me, now take your daughter and leave." she said calmly. "I will let the hostess know you are not welcome so please don't come back."

"Oh please, like anyone will want to come back to this place." said Lulu looking around and seeing for the first time the crowd and how they were looking at her. "I mean, please no one who is anyone is here."

Georgie saw Maxie start to move forward and grabbed her sister's arm and said "Good, then it won't make a difference that you were banned."

AJ was standing next to Jax who said with a deadpanned expression "I used to think I was someone, must be getting old."

"Obviously you are no one. I guess I am no one as well."

"Wow, I mean, wow." said Maxie as she tried to keep her temper from exploding at the same time she loved her sister standing up for herself. "I don't know if I want to say atta girl or follow her and rip out every single strand of her hair."

"Let it go, I am going to." said Georgie walking to the bar and asking the bartender for a glass of Merlot.

"How can you drink that stuff." muttered Maxie before walking back to the table and high fiving Patrick who had had several run ins with Orderly Spencer.

Robin went to follow her cousin but saw Johnny doing so. Turning she went to ask the bartender for a tequila shot. Drinking it, she said "One for the Scorpio/Jones girls."

Elizabeth had just gotten Cam to bed when she heard a knock at the main door. Walking down the stairs, she ran through the list of people the guards would let up to the house before opening the door to see her brother standing there.

With a sigh, she looked at her watch, then said "Steven, I love you dearly, but make it quick, very, very quick."

"Seduce your husband later." he said laughing. "I uh, don't know if you heard but Dad is in the hospital from the fall in your bathroom."

"What?" she asked then closed her eyes. "The soap incident."

"Yes, he played it off for the boys, but he is having surgery tomorrow, he broke his foot. We have to reset it tomorrow. Could you stop over."

"Yes, I will be there." she said hugging him then giggled at the mental image. "I know, it's wrong."

"Well I was thinking about using surgical threat and taping his mouth shut while he was out." he said with a chuckle of his own. "Did you know that Jason and I are related through our biological mothers?"

"No, I didn't." she said then saw her husband coming down the stairs looking for her and asked him if he had known.

"No, I knew about Monica and your dad, but not about Susan." he said then asked Steven if everything was okay?

Getting the story, Jason winced at the broken foot. Steven was telling them about Bobbie's requests when the phone rang. "Why are you calling me if he is dead?"

Hanging up the phone, Steven said "Kelly's was robbed tonight, Mike Corbin was killed."

"Oh my god." said Elizabeth. "Who did it?"

"I have no idea, but the coroner has his hands full and asked me to take a look." he said. "Mac gave Abbott my name. I have to go."

Jason observed the car driving away then turned to say "I believe we have a date. Do you want to cancel?"

"No, I feel bad for Mike, but honestly, I didn't know him that well." she said. "It is more that I used to work that late shift and closed alone a lot."

Not admitting she had always had guards on those night, no matter what had been going on between them, but knowing he had to reassure he flushed as he told her. When she hugged him, Jason said "I am going to get our dinner."

"I will be right back down." she said then went to change. Looking down at the first outer sign she was pregnant and turned to look in the mirror sideways, running her hands over the baby bump. Hearing a moan, she turned to see him with two plates and a look of lust in his eyes, "Down boy, your daughter is hungry."

Walking onto the darkened observation deck, he asked "Are you okay?"

Turning, Georgie said "Yes, of course." Gesturing for him to join her, she showed him they could see the club from here. "I love this."

"What? Watching others have a good time, faking that you are?" he asked quietly. "I have been watching you all night."

Turning, she said "I do love this, I just am feeling a bit guilty because I haven't been able to bring myself to read those letters."

Walking back to the desk, she picked up her wine glass and took a sip. "Why didn't you return my call?"

"I couldn't. I uh, spent the night after you left taking apart my engine." he said slightly flushed. "I uh, cleaned it, then rebuilt it."

Taking his hands, she said "I love the feel, after you have been working on a car. The ridges are soft and smooth, yet you have callouses and … cuts?" she asked her voice getting worried 'What happened?"

"Nothing, I uh, was a bit tired, after the first day and well, I cut myself while dropping the engine back in."

"Did you get it cleaned?" she asked.

"Just soap and water." he said then found himself led to a small ante room that led to an elevator. "Where are we going?"

"Ssh." she said then using the key she was wearing on her wrist took him up to the top floor. "Sit down."

With a small grin, he did then saw her with the bottle of peroxide and said "I promise, I am fine."

Holding out her hand for his, she pulled it over the glass bowl she had on the table. When the liquid bubbled and turned white on his skin, she looked at him and said "You were saying? You need a keeper, what exactly were you thinking."

Hiding his broad grin as she scolded him, he waited until she had wrapped his hand before standing and saying. "Any time you want the job, it's yours."

"I hate to get my hands dirty, I told you that." she said as she put away the first aid kit. "Besides, what I know about cars is that gasoline goes in the round thing on the side."

"NO, I meant about being my keeper." he said softly before moving behind her and encircling her with his arms he leaned over and put away her last bit of stuff, before turning her. Seeing her close her eyes, he asked. "Is it so hard to read them, shouldn't I have..."

"It's not that. I just... knowing you were involved with Lulu is easy, I don't know the details, same with this Olivia woman, but Johnny reading these letters, these are someones intimate thoughts shared with you. I can't do that. I have written letters, with things I wouldn't want to be made available for just anyone to read."

Kissing her shoulder, Johnny said "I get that, maybe I should take them back."

"Maybe it would be a good idea." she said before walking over to the desk and removing them from her purse on it. "Here."

"What about us?" he asked.

"Find her, find out where you are, then if..." she couldn't bring herself to say it, instead she kept hearing Brooklynn saying to know if something truly loves you, set it free. "I will be waiting."

Johnny had come to realize he didn't want to find this woman any longer, but now found himself looking for her not because he still dreamed about her but because he wanted a life with the woman in front of him.

Leaving, he went to the front door when he saw Mac who asked him to come back upstairs for a minute. "I just left Georgie up there."

"Okay, I was wondering if you were interested in helping me on a case. I have a man who runs a car dealership and he is sure that one of his salesmen is altering used cars. I don't know enough about the new systems to check." Mac said as they walked into the back office he kept for the staff.

"I can take care of it." he said then setting down the envelope on the desk. Taking the paper with the address, he said "When do you need the information."

"The sooner the better."

Johnny went to leave, then heard his phone ringing. Answering it, he walked out forgetting all about the package he had had with him. After a quick conversation with AJ he said "I am leaving the Outback right now."

"Good, wait for me." he said before paying his tab. The waitress was shocked. Three sodas and the tip was the same as the bill, so much for her friend Stacy saying the guy would be a sucky tip. Arriving outside, he said "I need to set up something, it's illegal sort of."

Johnny didn't want any part of it until he heard what the other man was up to. Laughing he said "Morgan is going to kill you, you do know that, don't you? I don't want any part of it."

"No, this isn't for him. This is for my cousin, Ned, he is performing at the Outback tomorrow night. We slip in while they are closed tomorrow and set it up in the dressing room."

"Georgie is going to kill me." he said "Why?"

"When I was talking to his daughter, she was telling me something he did to her and tomorrow night is his forty fifth birthday. Since I wasn't around for his fortieth, this will have to do. Besides, I owe Lois."

At closing time, a yawning Mac thanked the staff and was telling them they had done a good job when he saw the package. Opening it, he saw Georgie's letters, and went home and placed them on her desk next to her other pile wrapped in a similar ribbon.

Georgie hung up the phone and groaned. "I am way too tired to do this."

Dragging herself out of bed, she went to shower, hoping the cold water would wake her. "Georgie, come on, you aren't the only one needing the bathroom." called out Maxie who when the door was opened glared and said "There had better be hot water left."

"There is plenty, I have to go to GH. Dr. Quartermaine wants to talk to me. Then I have to pick up my dresses from the cleaners. I hate dressing up." she grumbled. "Why couldn't dad open a bar, you know a simple bar where everyone wears jeans."

"Well, grumpy, because that isn't what the Outback was or is." yawned Maxie. "But these late nights are doing me in too. I think tonight I will stay home."

"You can't. Ned and Brooklynn are performing tonight."

Entering her room, she saw she had forgotten to put her letters away. Picking them up, she went to her box then stopped. Looking at them, she sat down on the bench at the foot of her bed. Lifting the letter on the bench she read it, then thought about it, before going to her desk just as she heard someone at her door.

"Georgie?"

Going over, she opened it and stood there holding the letter, "What is it dad?"

"I see you got your letters, you left them at the club, the outer envelope got wet, here." he said handing her the brown clasp envelope. Starring at him, Georgie took it then said in a monotone Thanks.

Closing her door, Georgie sat down again and then standing went over to the desk, arranged letters by date and then read them. After the few couple she closed her eyes, thinking on all that had been going on at that time. Rereading his letters, knowing what was going on in his life, she couldn't help regretting how breezy she had been over the years.

Maxie rushed back up the stairs having forgot her cell phone to see that Georgie's door was still closed. Stopping frowning, she tried to recall if she had heard her sister leaving that morning. Knocking softly, she opened the door and saw Georgie sitting staring into space still wearing her bathrobe, her hair still wrapped in a towel.

Sitting down next to her, she said "Georgie, what is it?"

Looking at her sister, Georgie said "Nothing bad, I promise. I just need to deal with something, something I am not sure how to handle. I mean... on one hand, I just learned that everything I have ever wanted is in my grasp, but at the same time... I can't explain."

"Is this about Johnny?" she asked awkwardly. They hadn't discussed the Italian since before Christmas.

"Yes and no." Georgie said. Holding up the letters, she said "Remember You've Got Mail?"

"Yes, you're strange obsession with that movie." she said. "Wait, is this about your pen pal?"

"Yes, I just... to me those letters were fun, I liked the idea of them. The having someone to vent to who didn't compare me to you, to Lulu. To Robin. The person I wrote to was a way to have a secret."

"Yes." Maxie said cautiously, "What about it?"

"I found out who the person was. Too them, the letters were a lifeline." she said sadly. "I was reading what I wrote, and now knowing what they were dealing with, Maxie, I was so shallow. I never thought about their life, what they were going through."

"Georgie, that isn't true. I mean, we talked about this years ago. I MADE you promise not to go looking for your pal after that one letter, remember." she said. "I told you to concentrate on your real life. You did nothing wrong."

"I have to go." she said gathering all the letters then looking down at her bathrobe went to change. "Maxie, cover for me tonight, please?"

"Georgie, Brooklynn is your friend, more than mine. It's you she wants to see." Maxie reminded her.

"Then she will understand, I have to talk to him." she said "And this might take a while."

"I don't know that it would be safe for you to be meeting someone you have never actually meet." said the blond.

"I have meet him, it's how I know about his life." she said then looking at her hair, growled then pulling out a rubber band, ruthlessly gathered it back and pulled it up. "Got to go."

Maxie was a bit weird-ed out by her sister's behavior and didn't want her meeting anyone without back up. When her sister grabbed a ski cap and gloves before rushing off without her letters, the blond made an executive decision that was going to piss her off but still did it.

"Johnny, where are you?" she asked when he finally answered the phone "And where have you been?"

Standing in his bathroom, he said "The shower. Why?"

"Get dressed and get the hell over to my house and quick, I think my sister has lost her mind." she snapped before hanging up. Grinning to herself, glad to see she had a little part of manipulative Maxie inside of her, she watched the clock, then grinned when she heard the squeal of tires pulling into the drive fifteen minutes later.

At General Hospital, Elizabeth was talking quietly to her father as they prepped him for surgery. "I am so sorry, dad."

With a laugh, Jeff said "It was my own fault. I took the soap out and did what I used to do with your kids. I left it on the edge of the tub."

"Still, you are ..."

"I am fine, don't even think about mentioning my age, your brother already did." he said with a glare. "Would you do that to your grandmother?"

"No, but grams is scary." she said with an impish grin. Hearing someone coming in, she saw Monica standing there in scrubs.

"Please tell me you aren't performing my surgery." he joked with his ex-wife.

"No, Steven wouldn't let me, reminded me that it isn't your heart, but your foot. I told him in that case he should have Drake performing the surgery."

"Funny." growled Jeff. "Why are you dressed like that then?"

"I was supposed to be in the operating room this morning, but the patient decided to opt out of surgery." she replied. "I heard Elizabeth was here and thought I would sit with her."

Hugging her mother in law, Elizabeth said "I have the pictures back of the wedding, you should see Cam and Jake with Edward."

When Jeff had been wheeled out, Jason arrived and checked in with his wife before going to find his own father. "Alan, you wanted to see me?"

"No, I just was worried about Elizabeth." he said. "She seemed a bit shaky earlier."

"She has been tossing up her breakfast as soon as she eats it." he told his father. "Kelly Lee gave her something to help with it when we saw her first thing this morning."

Sitting down, Alan asked "AJ said Michael is doing well. That he asked about seeing the family."

"He told me. I hope you will go and see him. I am not sure I am up to it." Jason had been getting an update from his brother and knew that it would take some time to get past what he had heard Michael saying about how he had once felt in regards to Jake and Cameron.

"I understand, AJ told me what Michael was saying." he said with a heavy sigh. While Michael himself was horrified at what he had been like, there were going to be some who would not be able to move past it. AJ had mentioned moving to New York or Boston after his son was done at the hospital.

Walking back down the hall, Jason sat down next to Elizabeth aware that even if she hadn't said it, she was worried about her father. A half hour later, Steven came down the hall and said "He is going to be fine."

After a few more assurance, Elizabeth asked Jason to take her for a drive. "Where to?"

"You know." she said quietly. When they were at the Overlook, she said "I was so scared, I spent years blaming him for not loving me. For our estrangement, but I never reached out to him. Same with you, I did the same to us."

"Your Uncle Tom said that I reminded him of Jeff." he said. "I get it, now. We both were the turtles he described your dad and you to be. We would get our feelings hurt and hide."

"No more." she said with a tight hug. "I love you, so very much."

Lifting her head, he kissed her then said "I love you. I have for years."

"I only wish... well, I have almost all I have ever wanted." she said.

"What is this almost?" he asked her while helping her down the stairs to the warm truck.

"I have only one more thing I have ever wanted. And you can't give it to me." she said quietly. "I want Emily back."

"I know, I feel the same way. And I really wish Grandmother was here to see how happy we are." he said. "She told me that someday, what I really want wasn't going to come to me, easily. I discounted it, thinking she was trying to make excuses for Edward."

"What she really meant was you had to work hard for what you want. That if it came to you without work, you didn't appreciate it. She was right." he said then as they pulled of reached for her hand.

Maxie opened the door and said "Wow, you didn't even put in hair product."

"Maxie, I am not in the mood. What is going on?" he snapped. "What is going on with Georgie?"

"I have to go to work, but you have to stop her." she said. "She is about to do something incredibly foolish. Here, read these and stop her. She is all this guilty, Catholic repentance thing. All because she didn't realize some poor smuck's life sucked worse than hers."

"You are making no sense. What am I talking about, you rarely make any sense. Where did your sister go?" he asked intently.

"That is what I am trying to tell you, I HAVE NO IDEA." she snapped. "Take these, stop her."

When the blond left, Johnny sat down and saw his letters, then felt his heart stop as he realized that THEY WERE HIS LETTERS, not the ones that had been written to him. Johnny sat there, not sure what was going on. How had Georgie gotten a hold of his letters?

"John, where we supposed to be meeting?" said Mac.

Standing the younger man said "No, I was... I am not even sure. Anyway, I did check and your salesman is dirty. I went there last night to get the layout and caught him there. I slipped the file under your upstairs office last night, including pictures. "

"How did you get in? Never mind, I don't want to know." he said. "What are you doing with Georgie's letters. I hadn't seen those things in years. Not since she got pissed about them stopping. Now I have seen them twice in a matter of days."

"WAIT! You know about these?" he asked lifting them. "And Georgie wrote them?"

"Yes, a few years ago, after the Diego fiasco, I considered burning them, but Georgie threatened to burn something I have had for years if I ever even thought about it. I was always glad in a way she never learned who the writer was."

"It was me." he said quietly. "I was the writer."

Mac had been bending to pick them up then stood. "What?"

"I wrote them. I didn't know it was Georgie... I don't even know when she found out it was me." he said. "I, we wrote to post office boxes. Hers was in Beechers Corners."

Shaking his head, Mac said "Her mother has one there, the mail is forwarded once a week here. She used it for work. I just paid it, never even canceling it until there was a car accident a few years ago."

With a small grin, Johnny said "That was me also. I was speeding, trying to get home before Trevor figured out I was here trying to find out what he was up to. I saw the building, tried to stop and locked up my brakes. Took out the building and banged myself up real good."

They both turned when they heard footsteps, Mac amused to see his recently depressed daughter animated again. "I think this is my cue to head out."

"Uh, Johnny, I have been looking for you. And I broke a window. Also, I have something to tell you. And you are going to be so mad at me. I am mad at me. I can't believe what an idiot I am. I mean, I am the daughter of two PI's and a secret agent, yet I can't seem to piece together a simple puzzle, I will be right back down, stay here."

Considering stopping her, he instead went to the kitchen and grabbed a piece of fruit from the basket he had seen there. When she thundered back down the stairs while yelling at her sister on the phone, he removed the phone and said "False alarm, don't call back."

"JOHNNY!" before she could get out the next part, she found herself tossed over his shoulder and carried to the sofa.

"Sit down." he said then told her "I will be right back in."

Going to his car, Johnny ripped open the file from the agency he hired. Swearing, he was so pissed at himself, but heading back inside, he kicked his shoes off, then hung up his coat. "Now, we need to talk. Here."

Taking the file like it was a bomb, she asked "What is this?"

"Apparently your life story." he said. "I can't believe this. I don't know who is a bigger idiot, you or me."

"What?" she asked only to spy the letters she thought Maxie had taken on the side table. "Uh, I can explain."

Picking them up, he moved to the other side of the sofa and sat down across from her. "Why, I am equally blind."

"I at least knew I had been writing someone, you didn't." she said weakly. "What now? And why aren't you wearing socks?"

"Your crazy sister called just as I got out of the shower, certain you were going to end up..., I have actually no idea." he said. "I rushed over here, then she tossed these at me saying I had to stop you from meeting the poor smuck who wrote them." he said with a sigh. "I had no idea, I was the smuck."

"You are not a smuck." she said hotly. Then said "I think we both are."

Tossing them down on the coffee table, Johnny said "I have been looking for the woman I already had. You should be kicking my ass."

"Hey, I kind of like that ass." she said blushing then found herself pulled forward. Kissing her, he felt the ponytail hitting him in the face and pulled back. "What is up with your hair?"

"Hey, you should talk." she said as she tugged at the curls. "We need to talk."

Standing he went over and locked the door saying. "Later, much later."

Pulling her up, he kissed her senseless while backing her up the stairs. Georgie reached down and removed the thin shirt he was wearing and tossed it on the railing while his hands were underneath the sweater she was wearing.

"Right or left?" he asked as they reached the landing.

"Uh, left." she said breathlessly after he had punctuated the question with a kiss. When her back hit her bedroom door, Georgie was reaching for the handle when he ordered her to lift her arms. Her sweater soon ended up on the floor next to her door.

Johnny had held her hands above her head for a minute, his eyes on hers before placing them around his neck. Leaning in, Georgie thought about it, then licked the skin of his neck, smiling when he groaned. Pulling the warm moist skin into her mouth, she gently sucked on it.

Finding herself pulled even closer, she removed her hands from his neck and slid them down the tense body in front of her. Reaching his waist, she dipped them lower, then with a raised eyebrow said "Nothing underneath?"

Johnny's hands had been busy she noticed when she pulled back and her cream colored silk bra fell forward onto her upper arms. Pulling back he said "Maxie had me scared you were in trouble."

"Remind me to thank her later." she said running her hands around the inside of the waistband. When they reached the button in the front, she head his gasp then after undoing the button, slid her left hand lower to cup him.

Johnny covered her hand with his and said "We need to slow down or this is going to be over before it begins."

Pouting a bit, she used her other hand to slip her bra off so that it was only on the wrist of the hand he was covering. She saw his eyes following her movements then felt her own body responding as her nipples tightened even more.

Loosening his grip on her hand, he regretted it instantly when she used her free hand to unzip his jeans to free her other hand. Dropping the bra from her wrist, she said "I want you."

Trying to remind himself that he wanted way more than to bed her, Johnny lost control when she flicked his nipple with her tongue.

"Georgie, chap." Wrapping his hand around her nape, he lifted her head and kissed her. As the soft warmth of his tongue invaded her mouth, Georgie tried to grasp what little sanity she had left only for him to pull back slowly, bringing her to the realization that his hand was sliding up her skin to cup her now bared breast.

Feeling the callouses as his fingers kneaded her breast, Georgie moaned into the mouth that was still ravaging hers. Dragging his lips away from her, Johnny looked down at his hand and licked his lips as his fingertips encircled her pale peach tip.

Georgie felt like her legs were going to give away when it no longer seemed to matter, as she found herself lifted and then felt the sudden tugging as his mouth took over her breast. Wrapping her hands in his hair to hold him to her, she tightened her legs around his waist and felt the way his own body was reacting to her.

"GEORGIE!" She heard her name but some part of her didn't recognize the voice, ignoring it allowed her to settle back into the passion heated haze that consisted of Johnny and her until she heard footsteps and then "Georgie, I saw your car out there."

Tensing, then seeing Johnny's confused expression as he wondered what was wrong, Georgie reached down and opened the door to her room causing them to fall in. "What?"

"Sssh." she said then kicked the door shut.

"C'mon Georgie, I really really need a chili cheese fry fix." They both heard.

"How did she get in, I locked the door." growled the man lying on top of his girlfriend.

"She knows where we keep the extra key." whispered Georgie. "And she is persistent, she isn't going to go away."

Hearing the knocking on the door, then her threat to come in, Georgie put her feet flat on the door and found herself laughing. "Brooklynn, go back downstairs. I will be down in a minute."

"It had only better be a minute and why are your clothes lyin--- uh, Georgie I will come back later." said the singer with an embarrassed tone of voice. "I am so sorry."

"She should be." grumbled Johnny who had to laugh as he looked at himself and how he was barely dressed. "Who is that so I know who to kill?"

"Jason and AJ's cousin's daughter and one of my closest friends. You can't kill her, she is performing at the club tonight." she said laying back on the carpet. Looking over at Johnny she leaned over and kissed him quickly then said "We are going to have to wait, I am supposed to be at a meeting with Dr. Quartermaine in a half hour."

Pulling her close, he said "Tonight?" Then thinking on his plan to help AJ made a mental note to tell the blond they had to have the set up done by ten.

"Yes, but not here obviously." she said. "I have to find Brooklynn before she broadcasts what she interrupted all over the web."

Easing his zipper up and standing to pull her to her feet, he said "This kind of happened quickly anyhow. I don't even have any... condoms."

Watching him blush, she said "I have to admit I have been thinking about it, you are lucky you made it out the office last night with your virtue in tact."

Giving her a hard kiss, he said "Get dressed. And what have you done to your poor hair?"

Going to her mirror, she said "I didn't get to dry my hair straight this morning, it was wrapped in a towel while I read our letters, then I pulled it back like this to go find you."

Reaching up to gently tug the rubber band loose, he said "Wow." as the wild curly hair fell loose. "I like this version of your hair."

"It is untamable." she said reaching for a brush. Then looking at the clock, pulled it up in a clip. "I have to meet Dr. Q."

Twenty minutes later, a very calm and composed Georgie went to find Monica Quartermaine while Johnny had seen one of Jason's vehicles there and wondered what was up. Seeing Elizabeth, he sat down as she explained that she was waiting for her father to wake up after some minor surgery.

"How are you?" she asked then leaned to the side. "Well maybe I don't need an answer."

Seeing his blinking eyes, she said "Nicely forming hickey, there."

When his hand automatically went up to cover it, she laughed and said "I gather Georgie and you got things figured out."

"Yes. We still have some talking to do, and if it wasn't for a very untimely interruption, we might have already done so." he said. "She was the one. The letter writer."

"I know." Seeing his shock then anger, she reached for his arm and said "I figured it out because of what she told us about Jerry, but I knew that you two needed to do the same on your own. I told Jason if you hadn't by Valentines, I would tell you both."

"We did, today." he said. "I just worry, I mean I am still pretty screwed up. Claudia, my father. There is a lot going on that I have to deal with."

"Let her help you." she said. "Now if you will excuse me, I have company coming." When she stood, he watched as Jake and Cam rushed to see their mom then said hello to him.

By the time they turned around, Jason and his wife were kissing each other hello. "Hey, how is your dad doing?"

"Still asleep." she said. "Are you ready?"

"Just waiting on Monica." he said. Turning to Johnny he asked "Can you stay with the boys, for a few minutes, until my mother comes?"

Getting his assent, the expectant couple went to see Kelly Lee. "Are you two ready?"

Setting up the equipment, the doctor watched the two of them out of the corner of her eye, thinking this is what I want. When she had used the transducer, she said "There she is."

Looking at the picture, Jason felt the peace and happiness that being a new parent brought. "Kelly, why is she so active?"

"The cold most likely, Elizabeth do you want me to print a few of these."

Touching the scene while Kelly did so and after she had left to pick up the test results, Jason sat on the side of the gurney and asked "Do you have any idea what you want to name her?"

"I would love to use the name Emily, but I don't think she would like that." said Elizabeth. "So I was thinking something similar yet a name that is our daughter's."

"Miley?" he asked only for her to wrinkle her nose and say "Too teen pop princess."

"Amelia?" Elizabeth liked that one and said "Ameila what?"

"I know this might not go over well with the Q's but how about Amelia Susan?" he asked.

"For your biological mother?" she asked a bit surprised.

"Yes, I was talking to your grams about her. I know very little about her, but she was my mother." he said quietly. "Are you okay with that?"

"I love it." she said then hugging him as Kelly returned. "Okay, give us the news?"

"You are doing fine. Just keep doing what you are doing. And in six and half months you are going to have a little girl."

**A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR and a HALF LATER**

Jason hid his grin as Cody took over lighting the grill. "Why did we agree to do this?"

Holding their now crawling daughter, Elizabeth retorted "I think it went something like, we have lots of room."

"I know, but I am bit worried they are going to burn our house down." he said when the grill was finally lit. "Not how I wanted to celebrate Father's Day."

Setting their daughter into her playpen and what her brothers called baby jail to the annoyance of their great grandfather, Elizabeth asked "Will a kiss make it better?"

"A lot of kisses might be a good start." he said as he wrapped his hands around her waist and kissed her.

"Get a room." they heard. Turning to glare at the voice he said "So Drake, how did lighting the grill go."

"I am a surgeon, not a chef." he said then watched as his daughter chased after the Morgan boys. "I thought Maxie had her?"

"She is on the phone." said Elizabeth who touched Jason's arm to let him know she would be back as she went to find the blond. "Maxie?"

"He called, like you said." she hung up the phone then said "I just don't know what to do."

"I would tell you to follow you heart, but think seriously before you do. He is based in Italy, Maxie. He is almost fourteen years older than you and the two you have had a lot of things to deal with as a result of his time here."

"There there is the name thing." she said slightly humorously. "I mean, he has the same first name as my future brother in law."

Leaning in, Elizabeth said in an impish tone. "Want to know a secret, Johnny isn't his first name."

"What? He has yet another name?" she asked glaring at her phone.

"No, Johnny is a nickname for Sean." she said then told Maxie, "After working all the rest of it, follow your heart."

Robin had come inside to grab her sunglasses and said to Elizabeth. "Mac isn't going to be happy with that at all. He still has issues with Johnny O'Brien."

"I know, but they need to deal with him, not us. So how are you feeling?" she asked the woman who was four months pregnant.

"Better than I did with Emma." she said. "Speaking of being a parent, how is Steven doing?"

"I haven't heard from him in a couple of days but he was fine on Thursday." she said laughing along with the doctor. "Eight puppies, grams was ready to kill him when the mutt gave birth on top of her favorite bathrobe."

"You do know he is going to come looking for you to take one or two?" she asked then sobered up when she said "Us too."

Looking across the room to where Jax was talking to AJ, Robin said "How did Jason take the news about Carly?"

"He is fine. We all knew she would self implode eventually." said Elizabeth. "It's just too bad she took Bobbie with her. Bobbie was the only one who was trying to help her."

After dinner, Jax and the two kids left promising to call while in Hawaii for the summer. AJ was bringing Michael and Alexis was going to stop in with the girls for two weeks. Carly's escape attempt had hit Jax hard, he felt responsible for Bobbie's death if not his ex-wife's.

Lulu had tried to place blame on him as well, ending her romance with Matt who had been sure she had changed her ways. He had been in for quite the shock after catching her verbally haranguing Elizabeth who had been working her shift. When the blond had said she was sorry and didn't mean it, she had not gotten the reaction she had expected.

After the funeral and being careful not to leave any debts behind, Lulu had caught the plane to Paris where her mother resided with Scott Baldwin. More than one person was wondering how that was going to turn out.

Meanwhile Sam had been working hard over the last year and half, slowly learning to move her arms, to walk again. When she had reached the end of the bars without having to hold them, she grinned at her instructor.

"I did it." she said happily. Thinking on the plans she had made, on her dreams of getting revenge on the fake Jason and that bitch Elizabeth Webber, she bided her time, planning on accessing the staff computer later that night after paying off the orderly with the only thing she had left to trade in.

"Yes, you did." he replied hiding his own feelings regarding it.

At midnight Father's Day, Sam waited for the man to get off of her then purred "Thank you, I need that."

"You are welcome, are you sure about wanting to look at those websites?" he asked. "Then I need one more thing from you."

Typing on the laptop, Sam pulled up the files on Port Charles and leaned the Carly had died and thought good, that was one less problem standing in her way. Then she read the birth announcement for Amelia Susan and said "Well that name is going to have to go."

Finally pay dirt in the gossip columns. Jason and Elizabeth's relationship was rocky, something about landscaping. Then she read that the nurse was still working and made plans to take her out there. Heading back to her room, knowing that by now, Jason had to be regretting the mistake he had made, Sam was certain in another week she would be out of there.

The next day after a tough session, she was soaking in the whirlpool, glaring at the institutional suit they required her to wear when she head "Sam?"

"Jason?" she asked with a smile as she looked up. Pushing out her chest, she said "I knew it, I knew you would come and take me home. I am so going to rock your world."

Climbing out of the tub as seductively as she could in a one piece suit, Sam held out her hand and Jason took it into his tight grasp.

Jason gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes then turned to the man standing next to him and said "Yes, it is her. She didn't escape."

The man next to Jason took her hand away from Jason's and slapped the cuffs on her. "Samantha McCall, I am with the US Marshall Service. I am here to take you to Alden women's correctional facility now that it has been determined you are healthy enough to serve the jail time the courts ordered for you."

"Jason?" she whined. "What is this?"

"You finally getting what you deserve." he said walking away. "Sam, I wouldn't try the moment of weakness excuse on them, they are not going to want to hear it."

Sam felt the second cuff grip her behind her wrist and then looked around. Seeing her rehab instructor, she said "Help me."

When he thanked Jason for showing up so promptly, Sam screamed JASON, JASON, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?

"You endangered my family, what did you think you were going to get to walk away for what you did to Elizabeth, to our boys?"

"I know you married that bitch, I know she isn't keeping you satisfied. I know, Jason, I know all. The Port Charles Herald has all about how your marriage is falling apart, how it is on the rocks."

Jason kept walking for once glad that the PC Herald had nothing better to do then run articles about his wife and his argument regarding the rocks he was placing down by the water. "Sam, we are happy, we have three children and want more. I have what I want and it isn't you."

She was still screaming when the female officer forced her to change into the orange jumpsuit and then locked her in the back of the transport van with an officer she couldn't see.

"Hello, Samantha." she heard.

"Luke?" she said softly. "Luke Spencer, thank god. Are you here to get me out of going to prison."

"In a manner of speaking." he said then covering her mouth, shoved the shank into her. When she had fallen to the floor, he said "That is for killing Lucky."

She gurgled and pulled him closer. "N-nik did it."

"The Prince of Darkness is already dead." he told her coldly. Nik's weakness had been his desperation to regain the money he had lost and Luke had taken advantage of a woman he had saved a few years before. The dark haired beauty had killed the man then taken Spencer as her own child fulfilling her need for an heir. Luke didn't know which of the two had killed his boy, but they had paid and paid dearly.

Waiting for the Marshall to let Sam out for a potty break, Luke sat there, listening as she drew her last breath. Taking the pill in his teeth, Luke fell flat on the floor, thinking to himself that he had been betrayed. The drugs that were to fake his death had been real.

Back in Port Charles, at the end of the month, a wedding celebration was to take place. Mac had gotten word from Commissioner Abbott about Sam and Luke the night before. Watching as Cam and Jake Morgan and Morgan Jacks mimicked Johnny who was pacing back and forth, he said "I will go see what the problem is."

Heading up the aisle, he saw the various citizens of Port Charles, including the Quartermaines who were looking in worry at the back of the church. When Elizabeth slid in, he asked "What is going on?"

"The dress problem, she is overreacting to it." she said then went back to the vestibule where Robin was trying valiantly to do something about the problem while Georgie kept pacing back and forth. Maxie and Brooklynn were just trying not to laugh at the picture she was creating when they saw Elizabeth grab Georgie by the shoulders and say "Enough is enough. Take a deep breath, now.... okay another one. This is not a catastrophe."

"This isn't my dress, they sent the wrong dress. I am about to be married in something Princess Di would wear to her own wedding and this isn't a disaster??" she said as she went to pace but found her path blocked by Elizabeth and the train.

"Is Johnny waiting at the end of that aisle?" Seeing her nod yes, Elizabeth continued. "Are armed gunmen about to storm the church?"

"I really, really hope not." she said with a small chuckle.

"Do you have a diseases that is going to infect everyone?"

No, she nodded. "Okay, then one last thing, look out that window, the sun is shining, it is a warm beautiful day, so you are dressed like a Madam Alexander doll, you look beautiful." she said to the younger girl. "And the only other person whose opinion counts is at the other end of that flower filled aisle."

"Where is Mac?" she asked as she pulled down the veil and took her flowers from Maxie who said "Thank god, can we get this started. I thought I was the drama queen in this family."

Felicia turned to Frisco as their little girl walked down the aisle to the man she adored and said "Mac did good."

His stiff nod had her realizing he still felt guilty about not being a better parent. Reaching for his hand as Robin reached the end, followed by Elizabeth and Brooklynn. A few chuckles were heard when Maxie turned quickly and glared at Lucas who was playing the organ for the faster speed than was necessary.

As the Bridal March started, Georgie got control of her butterflies and smiled at Johnny. Seeing her two flower "guys" tossing the petals, she gave a quick grin then laughed when Cam winked at her. Cheeky little kid that he was.

Mac handed Georgie off to Johnny and stepped back. Looking around, he was grateful for all that had gotten them here. Seeing AJ and Jason sitting with Amelia, he couldn't help reflecting that if he hadn't gone looking for what four smoots were, his life would have been much more lonely.

At the wedding reception, Elizabeth followed Jason out to the rose garden and asked "What is it?"

"I love you," he said pulling her into his arms and saying. "Can you hear that?"

"The music, of course." she said.

"Wait for it." he said then as the a familiar song started to play, he reached out and said "May I have this dance Mrs. Morgan?"

As they danced, Alan who had come looking for the missing twosome swore he could see the echoes of his daughter and mother watching over the two as they danced unaware of anyone but each other.

The end


End file.
